


The Caretaker

by neighborhoodspaceman



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, i guarantee a happy ending because life is shitty enough, slow burn - like match under a cauldron slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-08-25 03:36:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16653538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neighborhoodspaceman/pseuds/neighborhoodspaceman
Summary: After a near fatal car accident Debbie reluctantly accepts the help of a caretaker at her brother’s request.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this sounds like a tragically sad story, but it won't be because I couldn't handle that tbph. There is mention of a car accident but I don't go into detail, just an overall description. I won't be mentioning blood or anything graphic so no need to worry about that. The only thing you should prepare for is to watching these two fall in love because it will honestly hit us hard every single time, in a good way. Let me know what you think in the comments! Oh, and I'm kind of looking for a Beta so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in let me know please and thank you.

Debbie Ocean was an average woman or at least that’s how she’d describe herself if asked. She grew up in a normal household, a dad, a brother. They did holidays like most average families. Took average vacations and had average birthday parties. In all aspects, but one, was her family average. The Oceans were very academically competitive. Their father, a Harvard Law graduate, was an over-achiever and expected the same from his two children.

 

They were both on the debate team, they were both enrolled in various academically relevant extracurricular activities and both didn’t know what it felt like to give anything less than 150% at school. Both graduated valedictorian, two years apart, and both went to Ivy League schools on full scholarships. It was a surprise to absolutely no one when each of them also chose to go to law school to follow in their dad’s footstep in the family business. After she graduated law school she met up with Danny and both of them found an office space and have been working together ever since. 

 

She likes it well enough, but she wants more. More out of life, more than what she has. She grew up in a world of structure, order and rules. Her father being a lawyer, a man who knew the law better than he knew anything else, made sure of that. Her father was gentle but not very affectionate. He valued law and order above all else. Debbie never knew her mother having died during childbirth. So for Debbie’s entire life she felt guilty for even wanting to do something other than what was expected of her. She felt she owed her mother to live a successful life. She wanted her mother to be proud of her and the only way to do that, her father had convinced her, was to go to college, law school, and then become a lawyer. 

 

About a year ago they were hired to defend a very high-profile client. Daphne Kluger was a New York socialite with a reputation for having swift hands. She was going to trial for having stolen a very expensive pair of earrings from a very important person, the Governor of New York’s wife. It was the last day of the trial and the verdict would be read today. Debbie was relaxed. She usually was, always confident in her and Danny’s ability to get the job done. She sat in her car reading her favorite travel blogger’s latest entry on her tablet. She wanted so badly to be able to just leave it all behind and live a simpler life. Traveling, landing in a new country every month, just living life today and not worrying too much about tomorrow.

 

She had developed a bad habit of throwing herself into her work after her very nasty divorce. She’d spent every moment she could working sacrificing her personal life. The only real friend she had left was Tammy, but only because Tammy was just as stubborn as she was and understood Debbie and the way her mind works. They were college roommates and had been best friends ever since. She and Debbie were very different and maybe that’s why they were able to maintain a friendship so tight after all these years. Tammy and Danny were the only people she really let know her.

 

There was a loud knock on her window as she was flipping through the images of the blog entry and it startled her back into reality. Danny had arrived.

 

“I thought I was early, but apparently you beat me here.” He says as they rush up the stairs.

 

“Early bird gets the worm, Danny, you know that.”

 

“You know what the good thing about you is?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I don’t have to worry about turning into dad because you’ve already done that.”

 

Debbie smiles at her brother’s teasing, “jealousy is not a good look on you, Danny.”

 

They walk into the building and fall into step side by side. 

 

“You planning a vacation?”

 

“What? No, why?”

 

“You should. You work too much.”

 

“I work hard, yes, but never too much.”

 

“You work too much, that’s not up for argument.” They turn a corner. “I saw you looking at those pictures while you sat in your car.”

 

“Were you  _ watching _ me?”

 

“No, not watching. More like observing.”

 

“You can dress it up all you want, Danny, it’s still creepy.”

 

“Tess likes it, she says it’s romantic that I pay attention to what she does.”

 

“It’s called a lie and as a lawyer you should be better at detecting those by now.”

 

“At least I have a wife.” He mumbles under his breath.

 

“I heard that.”

 

“Well, then do something about it.”

 

“One divorce is enough for me, thank you.”

 

Danny had to laugh. “Deb, not every relationship is going to lead to marriage and not every marriage will end in divorce.”

 

“That’s easy for you to say. Tess is amazing and you’re a great guy.”

 

“There are plenty of great men  _ and _ women out there, Deb. Please don’t close yourself off to the world because some shitstain decided he couldn’t keep it in his pants because his wife’s success intimidated him.”

 

Debbie looks at her brother with a fond smile.

 

“Debbie, you’re my little sister. You get on my fucking nerves and half the time I wish I could tie you to a rocket and send you into space to float around, but I love you. And after Dad died, I feel like it’s my job to look out for you.”

 

“Danny, you’re sweet….” She smiles at him, “when you aren’t being obnoxious.”

 

Danny smiles back and understands that that’s Debbie’s way of saying she cares too. Never one to be good at feelings and emotions, Debbie avoided them and talking about them at all costs. Danny had “gotten soft” as Debbie put it after he’d married Tess, but if she were to be honest she really appreciated it. Their dad was all business and never very fatherly so to have her brother be honest and open with her like that made her feel cared for. She was very grateful for Danny having found Tess. She was a wonderful person full of life, love and laughter. Danny had hearts in his eyes every time he looked at her and as long as Tess made Danny happy, Debbie liked her too.

 

“All I’m saying is to get out more. Go to a bar, a concert, anywhere. Take Tammy with you, she’s fun.”

 

“Tammy has a life, a family, she doesn’t need to be playing wingwoman for her sad single friend.”

 

“Tammy has two kids, I’m willing to bet money that she’s dying to go out for at least one night even if it is with her sad single friend.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

The doors to the courtroom burst open and both Danny and Debbie power walked out. Debbie was furious. They lost the case. The defendant, Daphne Kluger, was found guilty and sentenced to a year in a Martha Stewart style prison and community service for a year after she was released.

 

“Debbie, slow down.” Danny ran to catch up with her under the safety of the overhang as a storm came down heavily outside. “How are you moving faster than me in those heels?”

 

“I’m being propelled by my own anger.”

 

“Does that quip mean you’re not as angry as you look.”

 

“We just lost a very,  _ very _ high-profile case, of course I’m angry. I’m livid.”

 

“Debbie, there will be other cases. This isn’t the end of our career or anything.”

 

“Maybe not, but we shouldn’t have lost this one. It should have been in the bag and we should be celebrating right now and not walking out defeated.”

 

“You win some, you lose some. That’s just how it is in this line of work.”

 

“That’s just ‘how it is’, Danny? What would Dad say to that?”

 

“He can’t say anything because he’s gone. And may I remind you that he died of a stress-induced stroke because he was working way past the age of retirement? Is that how you want your life to end, Deb?”

 

Debbie didn’t say a word, she just walked into the heavy rain toward her car.

 

Danny tried to shout over the rain, “Debbie, where are you going? It’s raining too hard. Come back, we’ll wait until it’s lighter.”

 

Debbie kept walking. “I’ll buy you some coffee, come on.”

 

Debbie was done. She was done with everything. All she wanted to do right now was get home, crawl into her bed under the covers, and just lie there and listen to the rain. So when she got in, slammed her door, turned her car on, revved her engine and pulled out of her parking space dramatically she didn’t hear the semi coming towards her until it was too late.

 

The semi crashed into her car turning it into a tin can in the process and knocking it nearly a hundred feet away.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Debbie lightly knocks on the door to her father’s home office, one that he insisted was necessary so he could work on weekends and get ahead of everyone else. _

 

_ “Dad?” She opens the door just a little and pops her head in halfway, just enough to see inside. _

 

_ He was sitting at his desk as per usual, nose deep in some case file with multiple stacks of paper surrounding him. Without looking up he motions with his hand and mumbles, “come in.” _

 

_ Debbie has been preparing herself for this very conversation for weeks now. She’s getting ready to start sending out college applications, but before she does there’s one minor detail she needs to sort out. _

 

_ “Dad, I…. I wanted to talk to you for a minute,” Debbie says knowing that if her father even suspects their talk will take longer than a few minutes he might just send her away. She takes a few steps into the room. _

 

_ “Yes?” He says not lifting his eyes from the file in front of him. _

 

_ “I’ve been thinking,” she plays with the sleeves of her shirt which end a couple of inches past her wrist, “for my college applications-” _

 

_ “We’ve already discussed this Debbie, you’re going to apply to Harvard, Stanford or Yale, but if you know what’s good for you, you’ll apply to Harvard first.” _

 

_ “I know those are all good schools and-” _

 

_ “Good schools? Debbie, they’re the best learning institutions in the country.” He’s finally looked up and pulled his glassed off letting them hang from the chain attached to them. _

 

_ “Yes, dad, I know, but….” Debbie takes a deep breath, it’s now or never, “I wanted to apply to Sarah Lawrence too.” _

 

_ The room is dead silent. The only sound that can be heard is the low hum of her father’s humidifier. He quietly gets up from his chair slowly making his way around his desk, leaning on the opposite side. _

 

_ “Where is this coming from Deborah?” Debbie tenses up knowing that when he says her first name in full nothing good will follow. _

 

_ “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about.” _

 

_ “And what do you plan to study at Sarah Lawrence?” Her father says rather derisively. _

 

_ Debbie closes her eyes for a moment trying her best to stand her ground. “I was thinking maybe Art History.” _

 

_ “Deborah, you can’t make a proper living with a degree in Art History. You can’t have an apartment in the city, vacations in Paris and Rome, or a good life with an Art History degree.” _

 

_ “But, Dad, I don’t  _ need _ those things,” she stands up a little straighter, “I mean, they’d be nice, but if I ever went I’d just end up in a museum or on a historical tour.” _

 

_ Her father stares her down, using all of his six foot frame to intimidate her.  _

 

_ “Deborah,” he spoke in a calculated manner, stepping closer to her, putting one arm on her shoulder, “what would your mother think of this? To know that the child she quite literally gave her life for is choosing to throw that life in the garbage to pursue a silly hobby.” _

 

_ Debbie silently starts to cry, hot tears leaving streak after streak on her face. _

 

_ “Do you think she’d appreciate it?” _

 

_ Debbie shakes her head. _

 

_ “Good then,” he quickly removes his hand from her shoulder and makes his way back to his chair behind his desk, “and please be sure to show me your essays before they’re submitted. I’m definitely going to have to edit yours.” _

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie was in and out of consciousness. She didn’t know where she was, her vision was blurry and there was more than one person talking, but she could only make out one voice: Danny’s.

 

“Deb, oh thank God, Debbie can you hear me?”

 

She wanted to respond, she wanted to tell him she could hear him and that she was fine, just a little dizzy. But why was she dizzy? She was dizzy and sleepy so she went to sleep.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

She stirred on the bed. Her head was pounding and there was so much pain coming from her legs. She could feel them, but she couldn’t move them, they were so heavy. Even with her eyes closed the brightness in the room was blinding. She wanted to open her eyes and move and sit up and find out where the hell she was. In her rush to do all this she became frustrated that she couldn’t so her heart rate rose and her monitor started to beep. 

 

Immediately a nurse was in there. 

 

“She’s awake.” The nurse calls to someone at the nurse’s station, “page Dr. Weil, she’s awake.”

 

In less than ten minutes the doctor was in there. A tall, rosy-cheeked man who had a perpetual smile on his face.

 

“Well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty.” Debbie would recognize that voice anywhere. Her eyes shot open and she immediately closed them due to the pain.

 

“Don’t strain your eyes, Deb. You’ll be able to open them fully in a few minutes if you take it little by little.” The doctor said and he read through her chart. “You gave us quite a scare.”

 

Dr. Reuben Weil was Debbie’s uncle on her mother’s side. She didn’t see him often anymore, but he never forgot a birthday and always sent her a card accompanied with a phone call a day after to be sure she received the card. Debbie loved her father, but her uncle Reuben was more fatherly than her real dad ever was. 

 

“You drive just like your mother.” That earned what was supposed to be a laugh from Debbie.

 

Finally she was able to open her eyes. A nurse pressed a button and her bed rose leaving her in a semi seated position. The nurse then gave her some water and only then did she realize just how dry her mouth was.

 

“Thanks,” she said as she took the plastic cup from the nurse, “what happened.” She said with a strained voice.

 

“You don’t remember?” Reuben said as he pulled up a visitor’s chair to sit next to Debbie’s bed facing her.

 

“I remember…. the courthouse…. we lost the case…. I got in my car….”

 

“You were in a car accident, Debbie.” Reuben let’s her process that for a bit. “A very serious one.”

 

“When?”

 

“Monday”

 

“Earlier today?”

 

“Debbie, you’ve been in a coma for three days now.”

 

Debbie feels that news hit her like a ton of bricks. She immediately feels tears prick her eyes and suddenly her vision is blurred. “Three days?” She whispers making quick work of wiping the tears away.

 

Reuben nods. “Danny saw the whole thing. Poor kid nearly gave himself a heart attack. Thought it was his fault.”

 

Debbie looks at Reuben, “what?”

 

“He said you two had just had a big fight after losing an important case. You got in your car even though he asked you not to, it was raining cats and dogs outside I remember. You pulled out in a huff and you were hit by a semi.”

 

Debbie is quiet for a long time. Reuben waits quietly and patiently for her to let all that sink in.

 

“Where’s Danny?” She says with tears in her eyes.

 

“I asked the nurses to call him. He was here all day for the past two days. I finally convinced him to go home and sleep and shower. He was starting to smell a little ripe.” Reuben smiled at her.

 

Debbie smiled back, “thanks, Reuben.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Reuben was explaining to Deb the details of what had happened, what they’d done to her and her condition when Tess arrived.

 

“Oh, thank God you’re awake.” She leaps to Debbie’s side and hugs her almost a little too tight.

 

“Hey, careful now, you don’t wanna break the rest of her bones.” Reuben chuckles at his own joke.

 

Tess wipes away a few tears. “How’re you feeling?”

 

“Better than that month I did CrossFit.”

 

Tess laughs her signature Tess laugh throwing her head back and ending with a a big toothy smile. Tess and Tammy were the closest thing Debbie had to sisters.

 

“Did Danny tell you about my dramatic exit?”

 

Tess nods. “Mhm.” squeezes Debbie’s hand. “He’ll be happy to know you’re awake.”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“I’m not sure how much you remember, but he had a hearing today in LA?” Tess says almost as a question.

 

“Right, right, I remember.” Debbie looks at Tess then at Reuben. “I was out for three whole days.”

 

Reuben gets up, “listen, I’ve gotta go make my rounds, but if you need anything just ask the nurses to page me. Your aunt Rose is back home visiting her family or else she’d already be here probably combing your hair while you were out.”

 

Debbie laughs softly because that sounds exactly like her aunt Rose. “Thank you, uncle Reuben.”

 

He walks over, kisses her on her forehead and makes his way out the door. “You be good to the nurses. Bye, Tess.”

 

Tess sits in the chair Reuben was just in and set’s her stuff on the empty bed. “He asked me to call him so he could talk to you as soon as you were awake. Are you ready?”

 

Debbie sips more water and nods her head.

 

The line is ringing and Danny picks up on the other end.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hello,  _ Daniel _ .” Debbie teased as she knew Danny preferred his nickname to his full name.

 

“Debbie? Oh thank God. When did you wake up? Has Reuben been to see you yet? When did Tess get there? How are you feeling?”

 

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think you like me.”

 

Danny laughs on the other end. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

 

“No, I had the part of my brain that produces feelings removed to make room for more sarcasm.”

 

Danny laughs again and then sobers up a bit. “You really scared me, Debbie. I thought I’d just watched you die.” He goes quiet a moment. “You’re a terrible driver.”

 

“No, I’m a  _ dramatic _ driver, there’s a difference and as lawyer you should know how to spot the difference. It’s not like we’re short on sketchy clients.”

 

“You know, when you admit you know they’re sketchy you’re technically an accessory, right?” He smiles into the phone changing the subject. “Has Reuben given you the rundown yet?”

 

“Yeah, he explained everything. No internal organ damage, but a bunch of broken bones in my legs mostly.”

 

“He mentioned you’d be practically immobile for a few months?”

 

“Yeah, I wasn’t too happy to hear that because I won’t be able to go to court, but I’ll still be able to work from home.”

 

Danny laughs a bit, “it’s funny how you think you’re going to work in your condition.”

 

“Danny, I’m injured, but not in a coma anymore. I can still work.”

 

“Let’s put it this way. You’re under doctor-ordered leave effective immediately. It’s a paid leave so don’t try to give me shit about money.”

 

“Danny, you know I can’t go that long without work.”

 

“Yes you can. If you get bored then you can either read or write a book.”

 

Debbie huffs dramatically like a teenager. 

 

“No amount of huffing will get you out of this. If you want to get better, really get better, then you have to  _ rest _ .”

 

“Fine, fine.”

 

“Before you hang up, there’s one more thing.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I hired you a caretaker.”

 

“YOU HIRED-,” she begins to scream then stops. Debbie quietly closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. She inhaled deeply, exhaled deeply. She massaged her suddenly tense neck and spoke at an eerily quiet volume, “you hired me a  _ what _ ?”

 

Tess figured Danny was telling her about the caretaker and decided she should give Debbie some privacy so she steps out.

 

“A caretaker. You’re gonna be immobile for a few months and I thought the best course of action was finding someone to move in and help you with that.”

 

“So, you hired some  _ stranger _ to live in my home while I’m in this impossibly fragile state?” She says gritting her teeth as she quietly almost hisses at Danny.

 

“Relax, Debbie, it’s not like I hired a criminal.”

 

“Who is it then?”

 

“It’s Rusty’s wife’s cousin.”

 

“Isn’t he in Australia?” She asks suddenly exhausted and sore all over.

 

“Yeah, but his wife’s cousin lives there in New York. And she’s unemployed at the moment so she could really use the money. So, it’s two birds with one stone. We’re helping out a friend and you’re getting the help you need.”

 

“Danny, when you get back and I’m all healed up, I will get you back for this.” Her countenance and voice deceptively calm despite seething with anger inside.

 

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

 

“I’m a private person, you know this. And I don’t like making small talk with strangers.”

 

“Please be a grown up about this, Debbie. I can’t be there personally and neither can Tess so this is the only way I could get you help.”

 

“Danny, I don’t know… this isn’t something exactly easy you’re asking me to do.”

 

“Debbie, please. I’m asking you to  _ please _ just accept this.”

 

Debbie hears the the unspoken plea in Danny’s request and feels terrible for causing all of this. “Fine, ok, she can stay with me and help me.”

 

“Thank you.” She hears his sigh of relief. “You’ll be fine while you’re there in the hospital, but she’ll be there to pick you up to go home. I got you a new phone, yours got crushed in the accident. Tess has it, but you have to remind her to give it to you or she’ll forget. The number’s the same and I’ve already emailed you Lou’s contact information.”

 

“Who is Lou?”

 

“The caretaker.”

 

“Danny?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m sorry… for…. all of it.”

 

Danny smiles, “if you’re really sorry you’ll get better so I can kick your ass at poker.”

 

“Now that’s a promise I can keep.” She smiles softly.

 

“Bye, Debbie, be safe.”

 

“Bye, Danny.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big, huge thank you to @blanchtt for all her help!

Debbie was in the hospital for a week after she woke up. Tess was supposed to fly out with Danny, but offered to delay her trip until Debbie woke up. After speaking to Danny Debbie got her phone from Tess and she offered to make a quick run to Debbie’s place to pick up a few essentials for her before she had to go prepare for her flight.

 

So for the next week that Debbie would spend alone in the hospital she at least had a way of keeping herself entertained. She read a lot of e-books, played a few games on her tablet, tried her hand at Sudoku, and caught up on her Netflix list. On her final day there Reuben comes in wielding a black marker.

 

“I wanted to sign your cast before you hobble off back home.” He says as he writes his and his wife’s name on Debbie’s cast. “Wait, I almost forgot.” He adds Danny and Tess’s name too.

 

“Thanks, Reuben.” Debbie smiles at him, a genuine smile. “For everything.”

 

“Anytime, Deb, anytime.” He puts the marker is his pocket with his pen. “Danny mentioned he got you a caretaker. That’s an excellent idea, it’ll keep you off your feet longer and help in your recovery.”

 

“Yeah, she’s supposed to meet me here,” Debbie checks her watch, “actually she should’ve been here by now.”

 

“Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten about the collective Ocean disdain for tardiness.” He’s at the door, “take care of yourself. And if you need anything at all uncle Reuben’s just a phone call away.” He walks out with his signature smile and continues making his rounds.

 

Debbie waits another fifteen minutes before picking up her phone and dialing the caretaker’s number.

 

After a few rings the other side picks up, “hello?”

 

“Hello, is this Lou?”

 

“Depends on who’s asking, who’s this?”

 

“It’s Debbie, Debbie Ocean. I believe you spoke to my brother Danny already?”

 

“Yeah, Rusty’s friend.”

 

“Yes, that’s correct. I don’t mean to be a pain, but where are you?”

 

“I’m out in front of the hospital, walking in right now. What’s your room number?”

 

“Room 308.”

 

“Right, I’ll be there in a minute.” And she hung up.

 

“I guess she’s not into saying goodbye when hanging up.”

 

Debbie struggles to gather her things strewn about her bed when in walks an impeccably dressed, tall, blonde. She looks like she’s either coming from or going to a photo shoot. She’s wearing a deep cranberry suit with an almost sinful fit. Underneath there’s a deep emerald vest and a mustard gold tie tucked into the vest making Debbie wish she were able to stand up and find the end of that tie. She had on no less than four necklaces and just as many rings. On her left wrist she sported a watch and a gold cuff bracelet. 

 

She comes closer pushing her sleeves up a bit. “Debbie?” She says sliding her sunglasses onto her head.

 

“Yeah,” she answers after a moment of what could technically be considered gawking, “I’m Debbie.”

 

Debbie mentally kicks herself for such an open display of her momentary lack of self control. She prided herself on being almost invulnerable to romantic feelings. Sure she felt primal urges and need just like any other human being, she even sought them out. But Debbie never got attached, she never let feelings or emotions make an appearance during her one night stands. She’d been through a nasty divorce and knew that one disastrous relationship was enough for her. She was always in control, was always the one to deceive the other party into thinking they were calling the shots when really it was her that had her way. Debbie was practiced in the art of getting her way and in whoever’s pants she wanted to, so saying she was caught by surprise at Lou’s appearance, having expected a shy and demure woman, was the understatement of the year.

 

“I’m Lou,” she reaches out to shake Debbie’s hand, “here, I’ll help with that.” Lou begins to gather Debbie’s tablet, laptop, and a notebook. She grabs a hoodie at the foot of Debbie’s bed, tossing it toward her, “you might wanna put that on. It’s a bit cool outside.”

 

“Thanks.” Debbie can’t quite look away, but needs to put her hoodie on so the scene unfolding before Lou is interesting to say the least.

 

“Is this all of your stuff?” She opens the tote bag for Debbie to check inside, a hint of an amused smile on her face.

 

“Yep, that’s all of it.” Debbie presses the call button for the nurse. They bring her her discharge papers and a wheelchair.

 

“And here’s the number for the physical therapy clinic I told you about.” The nurse hands Debbie a pamphlet and a business card, “ask for Amita. She’s the best one there.”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Debbie smiles genuinely at the nurse.

 

Lou grabs the handles and begins to wheel Debbie out. 

 

“Did you drive here or should I call an Uber?”

 

“I drove,” as they’re approaching the elevator Lou asks, “you got parking at your place?”

 

“Yeah, I was allotted two spots, but I only use one. You can use the other.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

They’re in the hallway to Debbie’s apartment and stop in front of her door. Debbie gives Lou the key. 

 

“I guess I should probably get you a copy of that.”

 

Lou wheels Debbie in, “where do you want this?” She asks about Debbie’s bag.

 

“On the table is fine.” Lou puts the bag down, shuts the door and takes a look around. “Nice place.”

 

“Thanks.” Debbie begins to wheel herself down the hall.

 

“Do you need help getting out of the chair?”

 

“No, thanks, I’ll manage.”

 

Lou follows her down the hall a minute later. She’s leaning against the doorway to Debbie’s room watching her struggle to lift herself off the wheelchair and onto her bed.

 

“I said I’m fine.”

 

“Alright” Lou mumbles as she goes back out to the living room.

 

After about ten minutes of struggling Debbie slumps into her chair causing an ache to go through her legs. “Fuck.”

 

Resigned to the fact that maybe this one time she’ll need help she calls out, “Lou?”

 

In a minute she’s there. “Took you long enough.”

 

“You know, I could do without the commentary.”

 

“It’s a full service job.” She winks at Debbie.

 

Debbie rolls her eyes.

 

“Place your arms around my shoulders and hold tight.”

 

Debbie did as she was told. Lou pulls her up and with the force of it and her terrible balance due to her injury she’s thrown flush against Lou. Lou steadies her and looks at her to make sure she’s not about to faint. 

 

“You ok?”

 

“Yeah, ok.” 

 

As Lou moves her head her hair brushes briefly against Debbies nose and she catches a whiff of her perfume making Debbie wonder what notes she was picking up in the lingering smell of Lou’s fragrance. It also made her start wondering what perfume Lou was wearing.

 

“Still with me?”

 

“Yep.” Debbie says, her voice laced with pain.

 

Lou makes quick work of getting her into bed.

 

After she’s settled in bed she clears her throat, “I’m sure Danny mentioned that you’d have a room here. It’s the door on the left just as you leave my room. There’s a linen closet further down the hall, you’ll find everything you need in there.”

 

“Yeah, he said that. I’m just gonna run down to the car to get my things.”

 

As Lou leaves Debbie picks up the phone to call the doorman to explain that Lou would be staying with her so she needed to be added to the resident list. When she returns Debbie calls her in.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I spoke with the doorman and you’re added to the resident list, if anyone gives you any trouble just ask for Carlos, he’s the building manager and he’ll help you with whatever you need. Here’s a spare control so you can get in and out of the garage and spare key so you can get in and out of the house.”

 

“Cheers” She says as she turns and begins to walk out. “If you need anything you just give me a shout. Oh and I think it’s best if we both sleep with our doors open so I can hear if you call out in the middle of the night.”

 

Debbie nods. “Yes, ok, but could you just shut it for me now, I just need some time to just….”

 

“I understand.”

 

Lou walks out and pulls the door shut with her.


	4. Chapter 4

After two days of Debbie shutting herself off in her room, Lou walks in one morning and places a glass of water on Debbie’s bedside table and begins to walk back out. 

 

Debbie looks up from her book, “what’s this for? I don’t take any medicine right now… do I?” Debbie quickly picks up her tablet to look at the note she’d made with all the times she had to take her meds and which pills were when.

 

“No, you don’t, but you’ve only had two glasses of water in as many days.”

 

“Are you a doctor now?” Debbie asks rather sarcastically.

 

“No, I’m not, but it doesn’t take a doctor to know that with all the medication you have to take… keeping your kidneys in tip top shape won’t hurt.” Lou walks out.

 

Debbie doesn’t like that Lou’s right and she won’t admit it so she waits until Lou is out of view and drinks some water.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

The next day when Lou was sure Debbie was awake she walked in and put a glass of water on her bedside table.

 

“Morning, you hungry?”

 

Without thinking Debbie reached for the glass and downed half of it.

 

“Someone’s thirsty.” 

 

Lou sits on the chair by the entrance to Debbie’s closet.

 

“Well, someone reminded me I need to drink more water or else my kidneys will fail.”

 

Lou almost smiles, “you’re welcome by the way.” Lou rubs her hands up and down her own thighs. “You never said what you wanted for breakfast.”

 

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

 

“I’ve already had breakfast.”

 

It was then that Debbie noticed that Lou was dressed. Jeans, a ¾ sleeved graphic t-shirt, a vest, her usual array of rings and socks. 

 

“When did you wake up.”

 

“Little while ago.”

 

“Why are you dressed?”

 

“Danny never mentioned anything about having to do this while in the nude.” She says with a shit eating grin on her face.

 

“I  _ mean _ ,” Debbie rolls her eyes, “why are you dressed like you’re going out. I mean, it’s fine if you do, just…” Debbie trails off not knowing what exactly she wanted to say.

 

“You’re an odd one.” Lou chuckles and makes her way out to make Debbie some breakfast.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

One morning she’s reading a travel blog and notices the date. It’s been two whole weeks since she woke up from her coma and one whole week that she’s been home. In one short week, that simultaneously seemed like one month, Debbie, ever the perceptive attorney, begins to notice a few small details about Lou. Like how she walks so quietly but sings loudly in the shower. How she always seems to fall asleep after Debbie and is always up before her. She learns that Lou drinks an impressive amount of coffee and she likes it strong. She notices that when Lou isn’t eating a meal or drinking coffee she is always definitely chewing gum. She spends all morning recalling all the little things she’s learned in this past week.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

It’s mid afternoon and Debbie is bored. Bored out of her mind. She’s read every book she owns and has watched everything on her Netflix list. She tries to think of something else she can do as she plays of game of solitaire without really trying. She has an idea.

 

“Lou?”

 

In a matter of seconds Lou is at the door. “What’s up?”

 

“Do you play cards?”

 

“Yeah, a little.” She says walking into Debbie’s room.

 

“Are you doing anything right now?”

 

“No, not at the moment.”

 

“Do you wanna play?” Debbie says as casually as she can hoping Lou wants to play.

 

“Sure, you got a deck?”

 

“Yeah, there’s a drawer in the kitchen with a bunch of-”

 

“Shit?”

 

Debbie smiles, “yes a bunch of shit. There should be a deck or two in there.”

 

Lou makes her way to the kitchen opening the drawer, one she had already seen, and rummaging through searching for her prize. She sees matchbooks from various roadside diners, picking up each one, turning it over and reading the name of the city on the back. She picks up a sealed package of wall socket covers, wondering what on Earth Debbie could need those for. Upon seeing the few brand new, unused phone chargers Lou laughed figuring Debbie is one of those people that’s beyond over prepared. There’s lose change, mostly pennies, everywhere. Some scattered paper clips and highlighters, something she gathered Debbie used frequently in her line of work. Rummaging past the unused Post-It notepads she sees two small boxes, she pulls them out. Both of them older, yellowed. One with a picture of a flamingo on the beach and one with a parrot  on a perch… on the beach. 

 

Lou comes back looking curiously at the decks and hands them to Debbie. “You shuffle.”

 

Debbie looks at them and it’s as if she’s transported to another time and another place. She looks them over, smiling fondly. She slowly opens one of them removing the cards carefully. When she finally remembers where she is she looks at Lou, then the chair, “go on, sit.”

 

Lou quietly sits down watching her shuffle the deck.

 

As Debbie’s shuffling she makes conversation, “do you guys not have the random-item-mess drawer in Australia?”

 

“Yeah, we call it the shit drawer. Or at least I do.”

 

“Here you cut.” She hands the deck to Lou.

 

“What are we playing?”

 

“Do you know how to play poker?”

 

“A little.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Lou looks at her hand then holds it to her chest so she can look at the deck properly without letting Debbie see them.

 

“Where did you get these?”

 

“Key West, Florida.” Debbie says without looking up from her cards.

 

“Never been, heard about it though.” Lou lightly taps an unknown rhythm on her thigh.

 

“I’d just passed the Bar, Danny and I had planned to start our own law practice together so it was a double celebration of sorts.”

 

“I imagine that had to have happened some time ago,” Lou says placing her cards down, winning.

 

Debbie scooped them up and gave them to Lou for her to shuffle. “It was,” Debbie recalls the memory with a smile.

 

“Sounds like these are important to you then.” Debbie nods. “I promise to be careful with them.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

About two hours later and Debbie has lost count of how many games they’ve played. 

 

“So when you said you played ‘a little’ poker you were trying to hustle me?”

 

“It’s not like we were playing for money. I just wanted to see if you were as good as you thought you were.”

 

“So you thought I was bullshitting you?”

 

“Not exactly, I knew you could play, I just didn’t know how good you were.”

 

“How did you know I could play?”

 

“Rusty told me he and Danny used to play poker every week before he moved, so I figured you at least knew how to play.”

 

Debbie mulls that information over for a bit. “What part of Australia are you from?”

 

“Sydney”

 

“Why’d you leave?”

 

“Too many fucking spiders.”

 

Debbie laughs at the expression on Lou’s face. “You don’t like spiders either?”

 

“No, there’s just something not normal about them.”

 

“Do you miss it?”

 

“Sometimes, sometimes I don’t. Mostly I just miss my friends.” Lou gets a faraway look in her eyes, temporarily getting lost in her memories. Debbie studies her, watching all the expressions that come across her face. When Debbie is sure that Lou is going to be out of order for a bit she comes right back, as if she was pulled from a pit filled with memories of her past all at once. Debbie has questions, so many questions. She wants to ask Lou what just happened and why. She wants to know more, everything. But no reason she gave could justify her wanting this information from someone she’s known for only a week.

 

Their eyes meet for a moment before Lou remembers what time it is. “You have to take something now, don’t you?”

 

“Shit, that’s right. Let me check which one.”

 

Before she can even reach her tablet Lou finds the bottle and hands her a pill. “I’ll go get you some water.”

 

Debbie’s left there wondering how on Earth Lou had learned her medication schedule so quickly and efficiently.

 

She comes back with the water and Debbie takes her pill. She swallows and looks at Lou a few seconds then into her half empty glass. “Do you ever go back to visit?”

 

Lou sighs softly, “no, the flight is too long.”

 

“You really miss your friends, but the flight is too long to go see these friends you really miss?”

 

Lou’s eyes are guarded, “yes.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“What’s what?”

 

“Hmm.” Lou mocks.

 

“I don’t mean to overstep, but I have made detecting bullshit a career and I’m not pointing any fingers, but I can smell it a mile away.” 

 

“You’re saying I’m lying?”

 

“Omitting the truth. Not technically lying, just withholding information that could influence the way information is perceived.”

 

Lou stands up, takes the glass from Debbie’s hand and looks her in the eyes, “maybe you should spend more time talking to people and less time studying them, searching for a weak spot.”

 

She walks out of the room quietly. Debbie doesn’t hear from her for a few hours.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Ever since their first card game they unofficially made it a habit out of playing cards every day. So on the fourth day of playing cards, after their sixth game Debbie was growing bored.

 

“You’re getting restless, I can tell.” Lou says as she looks at her cards.

 

“I’m not used to not doing anything. I hate it.”

 

Lou looks at her a moment and then takes Debbie’s cards.

 

“I’m not sure how they play in Australia, but the rules to poker here are different.’

 

Lou laughs and begins to shuffle the cards. “I have an idea.”

 

“And are you going to tell me what it is?” Debbie crosses her arms, raising her eyebrows.

 

“You know how to play war?”

 

“Highest cards wins, right?”

 

“Exactly.” Lou has dealt out the whole deck. “But we’ll do it a little differently. Highest card gets to ask the other a question. And it  _ has _ to be answered truthfully.”

 

Debbie picks up her cards arranging them into a neat pile. “You can’t look at them.” She reaches out a hand to stop Lou from looking at the bottom card and it lands right on top of Lou’s hand.

 

Lou looks at her hand, then at her. “I know.” A hint of a smile appears as she chews her gum.

 

Debbie unsuccessfully suppresses a smile and looks at anything but Lou. They both put down a set of cards, Lou wins.

 

“What do you do for a living?”

 

“I’m a defense attorney.”

 

They put down another set, Lou wins again.

 

“Do you like doing that?”

 

“I’m very good at it.”

 

“That’s not what I asked.”

 

Debbie, not used to being challenged, gives her a look before answering. “No, not exactly.”

 

Another set, Debbie wins.

 

“Why are you always chewing gum?”

 

“Danny said no smoking so…”

 

“You can smoke out on the balcony…”

 

“Nah, I’ve been meaning to quit anyway” She shrugs.

 

Another set, Lou wins.

 

“Do you play tennis?”

 

“No, why?”

 

“Nuh-uh, you have to win to ask a question.”

 

They put down another set and Debbie wins.

 

“Why are you asking me if I play tennis?”

 

“I saw a racquet in the coat closet and wondered if you still played.”

 

Debbie was quiet for a few minutes. She stared at the pattern on the back of the cards in her hand. Lou noticed that she drifted off a bit and placed down another card waiting for her. Debbie flips her card down, she wins.

 

“Before you moved here, when you still lived in Australia, what did you do for a living?”

 

Lou hesitates a bit and shifts in her chair. “I was a chemical engineer.”

 

She flips down a card not meeting Debbie’s gaze. Debbie flips hers and Lou wins.

 

“Why do you have a tennis racquet if you don’t play tennis?”

 

“It belonged to someone who is thankfully no longer in my life.”

 

Lou smiles at the force with which Debbie said ‘thankfully’.

 

Debbie puts down a card and Lou follows, Debbie wins.

 

“Did you like being a chemical engineer?”

 

“Not as much as I loved studying to be one.”

 

“Ah, you’re one of those.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lou asks with a hint of a smile.

 

“You like things in theory, but not in practice.”

 

“That must mean you’re one of those over-achieving types. All work, no play.”

 

“Guilty as charged.”

 

“Cute.” Lou says shaking her head and putting another card down winning.

 

“Who is Claude?”

 

Debbie freezes and looks like she’s seen a ghost.

 

“You talk in your sleep sometimes and you mention that name more than just occasionally.” Lou clarifies.

 

“My ex-husband whose tennis racquet you found.”

 

Lou nods knowingly. “You should burn it. And anything else of his he left behind. Just set it all on fire.”

 

Debbie laughs. “You know what? That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

 

Lou’s phone buzzes in her pocket and she takes it out. “Pill time.” She gets up and goes off to bring back Debbie some water calling out as she heads down the hall, “it’s the circular one, white pill.”

 

Debbie takes the water from Lou’s hand and watches her as she takes her medication as Lou is blissfully unaware while checking her phone.

 

“I know it’s none of my business,” Debbie says resting the empty glass on her bedside table, “but why did you leave a career in such a promising field?”

 

Lou puts her phone down on Debbie’s bed and sits up a little straighter, “it was sucking the life out of me. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I still find it interesting, but the job I was in was so…. I didn’t feel like a person anymore.”

 

Debbie knows that feeling all too well, “I know what you mean unfortunately.”

 

“You know, nothing’s stopping you from no longer being a lawyer and doing what you really want.”

 

“I can’t just drop everything and change careers now.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Debbie doesn’t have an answer to the question. She sits quietly in her bed as Lou gets up and walks out. She comes back in a little later with shoes and jacket on. “I’m gonna go get pizza, anything you don’t like on it?”

 

“Why don’t you just order? There’s a place like two blocks over.”

 

“D’Angelo’s has the best pizza in the city and they won’t deliver way out here.”

 

“No mushrooms.” And with that Lou makes her way out the door.

 

Debbie sits and contemplates their exchange a bit. She reaches over and opens the drawer on her bedside table pulling out a leather bound notebook and a pen.

 

Debbie has kept a diary ever since she was thirteen. Navigating adolescence without a mother was hard. Her friends told stories about going to buy their first bra with their mom, talking about their crushes and having their mom smile with fondness. Debbie didn’t have that, but she was still very grateful for her aunt Rose, who maybe wasn’t the most maternal person, but she was very, very stylish. Debbie kept a diary to store all of the feelings and emotions she didn’t quite know how to handle, but for fashion advice it was always her aunt.

 

She opens it to the first empty page, smoothing it over. She used to write in it as if she were expecting somehow for her mother to receive every single message and read every single word. Hoping, still, after all these years that her mother would find a way to send back a message of her own.

 

_ She says she was a chemical engineer. And I know she was telling the truth. She said she left it, walked away from all of it all because it didn’t make her happy. I, obviously think that’s a mistake, but at the same time I envy her more than I can describe with words. I’m tired. I’m tired of being this version of myself, the version that everyone thinks is the real me because I’ve never let the real me shine through. Why? Pressure from dad, school, expectations from those who put a lot of that pressure on me… so many things. I want to live. I want to do something selfish because I want to do it, not because it’s expected of me or the responsible choice. I want to do something strictly for myself and be able to enjoy it without guilt.  _

 

Debbie closes the diary and hugs it to her chest for a minute. She puts it away and goes back to absentmindedly looking through another travel blog, wondering how long it would be before Lou came back.


	5. Chapter 5

With each passing day Debbie learns more about Lou, something she’s started to enjoy doing. She’s learned that Lou is an excellent and very intelligent conversationalist, but also very quiet. She goes about her business around the house and Debbie can barely hear her. She lounges around the house dressed as if she always has somewhere to be. Debbie usually just walked around in comfortable workout clothes. She brushes her teeth after every meal without fault. Debbie also learned that Lou eats whatever she wants and has a hard time with that information.

 

It’s lunchtime and Lou walks into Debbie’s room to bring her her lunch and to eat with her as they’ve done since the second week.

 

“Here you go.” Lou places a tray with soup and crackers in front of Debbie.

 

“Thank you,” Debbie watches as Lou pulls up her designated chair to Debbie’s bed, rather than leaving it by the entrance to Debbie’s closet, and opens a bag of salted peanuts.

 

With a look of disbelief Debbie asks her, “please tell me that’s not all you’re having for lunch.”

 

Lou shakes her head and shows Debbie the three cookies wrapped in a napkin, “I’m having dessert too.”

 

“You eat like a teenager, you know that right?”

 

Lou shrugs, “I eat vegetables too sometimes.”

 

“Do you eat them in your closet at night? Because I’ve yet to see you eat anything that comes directly from the Earth.”

 

Lou laughs lightly, “I haven’t been in a closet since I was 18, darling.” She gets up, goes to the kitchen and comes back with water for both of them.

 

Debbie thought about that for a second, but made nothing of it. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

 

“My dad was really strict growing up. He loved rules and made sure we had plenty of them. We had to have at least one vegetable or fruit with every meal and dessert was only once a week after sunday dinner.”

 

“That sounds…. dreadful.”

 

Debbie laughs at the genuine sadness in Lou’s voice. “We went to temple with my uncle Reuben and aunt Rose every Saturday evening and he always took us out to dinner and ice cream after. Obviously we never told our dad, but I think he knew and just pretended he didn’t.”

 

Lou smiles at the expression on Debbie’s face as she recalls the memory. “You’re the first Jewish person I’ve ever met with a star  _ and _ a cross pendant on their necklace.”

 

At the mention, Debbie absentmindedly holds the pendants. “My mom was Jewish and my dad was Catholic.”

 

“No shit, what was that like growing up?”

 

Debbie spooned some soup into her mouth and took so long to answer Lou almost thought she wouldn’t.

 

“I never knew my mom. She… she died during childbirth.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She says before taking a sip of water.

 

“It’s… I mean, it’s not an ideal situation? But I was always so busy I never really let myself dwell on it.” Debbie moves her spoon around in the bowl watching the vegetables float around. “My uncle Reuben, he’s my mom’s brother, he used to tell me stories about her. He says I look just like her.” She says looking up at Lou.

 

“She must’ve been beautiful then.” Lou says holding Debbie’s gaze.

 

Debbie smiles and blushes lightly. “I have pictures. If you want- I mean you probably have better things to do.”

 

“I’d like to see them if you’re ok with that, but only after you eat.” Lou says pointing at Debbie’s tray.

 

Debbie tries not smile, “you’re tough. I see why Rusty recommended you.”

 

“What? Because he knows you’re stubborn and it’d take someone tough to go toe to toe with you?”

 

Debbie looks at her seriously while pointing her spoon, “I know where you sleep so watch it.”

 

Lou laughs and takes Debbie’s tray into the kitchen. 

 

“The photo albums are in the cabinet to the left of the TV.” Debbie calls out from her room.

 

Lou walks back in with a big, heavy photo album with black leather and gold trim. Debbie sets it on the pillow on her lap. She runs her hand over it gently. “I haven’t looked at this in maybe two or three years.”

 

Debbie sees Lou on the chair, “you won’t see anything from over there.” She moves her laptop to her bedside table and pats the spot next to her on the bed. “You can sit here.”

 

Lou quietly makes her way over and carefully gets on the bed so as not to cause too much movement so Debbie’s legs wouldn’t be disturbed. “This has to be the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been in. I thought it was the one in the guest room, but it’s definitely this one.”

 

Lou leans back onto the pillows, closes her eyes a bit and let’s herself enjoy the comfort for a moment. Without even thinking about it she lets slip, “I could sleep in this bed every night.”

 

Debbie’s suddenly nervous but she doesn’t know why. She feels something unexpected, something she can’t really place at seeing Lou in her bed, sighing in complete comfort. She feels the need to say something, but can’t decide on what so she just says, “yeah me too.”

 

Debbie only realized her mistake after she’d said it. Longing to sleep in her own bed even though she currently  _ was _ sleeping in it. She prayed Lou didn’t hear her. Lou opens her eyes and looks at her then laughs, “you’re an odd one.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie points at a photo, “she was seven months pregnant here.” In the photo her mom is sitting in the grass with Danny as he blows bubbles.

 

“You really do look just like her. Who’s that?” Lou says pointing to the little boy in the photo.

 

“That’s Danny, he was two here.” 

 

Debbie turns the page carefully. “Here she is on the way to the hospital. I was born a week past my due date.” Debbie strokes the photo with her mother in it, something she did every time she looked at it. She didn’t know whether it was a silent wish that her mom could reappear or a silent apology for what happened to her mother upon her birth.

 

“So you’ve always been stubborn?”

 

Debbie nods and smiles fondly, “always.”

 

The next pages are only pictures of Debbie, Danny and their father. “This is my christening.” In the picture Debbie is being held by her father, crying, as the priest blesses her and Danny is sitting on the steps next to the priest pouting. 

 

Debbie points at Danny, “he was upset because my dad didn’t bring a towel to dry me off and he was afraid I’d get soggy.” 

 

They both laugh as Debbie turns the page. “This was right after I took my first steps.” Danny was hugging her and they were both smiling so widely one would think they’d never ever feel sadness in their lives again.

 

“He seems like a good brother.” Lou says looking up briefly.

 

“The best. He’s an obnoxious idiot and I wanna smack him, but he’s the best brother a girl could ask for.”

 

They saw pictures of Debbie’s first birthday, her first tooth coming in, her first day of school, her first tooth lost, her first school play and finally reached her teenage years.

 

Debbie turns the page and chuckles, “this is my Bat Mitzvah.”

 

“Are those braces?”

 

“Mhm, wore those until I was fifteen.”

 

“Did they make you talk funny?”

 

“No, but my retainer did and Danny didn’t let me forget it for a single minute.”

 

“You were adorable.”

 

“I was the shyest bossy debate team captain my middle school had ever known.”

 

Lou brings her left hand up to scratch an itch on her right shoulder. Slipping her hand under her t-shirt sleeve Debbie notices something on Lou’s arm.

 

“Is that a tattoo?”

 

“Yeah,” Lou smiles, “got it when I got into university.”

 

“What is it?”

 

With a sigh Lou answers, “chemical formula for ethanol.”

 

“Can I see it?”

 

Lou lifts her sleeve and let’s Debbie get a good look at it. “I understand why you’d get this kind of tattoo, but why ethanol specifically?”

 

Lou lets her sleeve go and brings her hands onto her lap. “A couple reasons. A reminder in a way.”

 

“Of your time as a chemical engineer?” Their eyes meet for a moment before Lou looks away.

 

“Among other things.”

 

Debbie senses Lou doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. She turns a few pages in her photo album. “This is me at my senior prom.”

 

“Why all the tulle?”

 

“I thought I looked like princess.” Debbie laughs.

 

As their laughter dies down Debbie feels a sharp pain in both her legs and Lou notices her face contorting in pain.

 

“Did the doctor say how long you have to wait before starting physical therapy?”

 

“At least two months, I need to get my casts off first.”

 

Lou looks down at her legs, noticing the signatures, “Can I sign it too?”

 

“Sure”

 

Lou runs to Debbie’s desk in the living room and grabs a red marker. She comes back and spends about five minutes writing something.

 

“Did you draw something? I can’t see it.”

 

Lou pulls out her phone and and takes a picture to show Debbie. She’d written her name and added a lighting bolt under it.

 

“Why the lightning bolt.”

 

“Because I’m the thunder from down under.” Lou laughs at her own joke.

 

“Wow, did you come up with that one yourself?” Debbie deadpans.

 

“I may have borrowed it from someone.” Lou says with the remnants of a smile on her face. A smile Debbie was slowly growing incredibly fond of.

 

Debbie’s phone rings and she reaches for it. The caller ID reads ‘Tammy’ and she answers it while Lou quietly leaves the room.

 

“Hey, Tammy.” Debbie says with the lingering laugh form Lou’s joke in her voice.

 

“Hey, Debbie, how are you? You were supposed to call me when you got home.”

 

“Sorry, I’ve just been getting used to this whole situation. I hate being stuck in bed.”

 

“You don’t sound unhappy.”   
  


“Oh, I was just laughing at Lou’s joke.”

 

“Who’s Lou?”

 

“That’s right, I forgot to tell you. Danny hired me a caretaker.”

 

“Well, by the sound of it you’re being well taken care of.” Tammy says suggestively.

 

“Jesus, Tammy.”

 

“I’m just making an observation.” Tammy takes on a more serious tone. “How are you really?”

 

“Physically I’m literally broken. And mentally I’m…. overall ok, but I could be better. I’ve had low points before and I’ve always gotten out of them just fine. Maybe it’s just a matter of time and I’ll be back to normal again.”

 

“Can I come out and see you, spend the day maybe? I’ll leave the kids with Tom and we can have the whole day to catch up and chit chat.”

 

“Yes, that would be amazing. When works for you?”

 

“How abouuut this Saturday?”

 

“That works. I’ll give Lou the day off and we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

 

After Debbie hangs up she calls Lou in and tells her about Saturday.

 

“You’re sure you won’t need me?”

 

“Absolutely. Tammy will be here until after dinner and you need a night off anyway. You spend every waking moment with me, you deserve it.”

 

“If you’re absolutely sure then I’ll take you up on that offer.”


	6. Chapter 6

Saturday rolls around and as per usual Lou made them breakfast and ate with Debbie in her room.

 

“So, what do you have planned on your day of freedom.”

 

“You make it sound like I’m a prisoner here.” Lou sips her coffee. “I’m not sure really.”

 

“Oh come on! You have to do something fun. Do it for me, have fun for me because I can’t leave this bed.”

 

“You mean that insanely comfortable bed that feels like sleeping on a cloud?”

 

“Yes, please go out and do something. Be outside for a while, sit on a bench, look at some trees.”

 

“You miss going outside, I take it.”

 

“You have no idea.”

 

Lou takes another sip of her her coffee that Debbie had called ‘liquid tar’ after Lou let her take a sip once. “Alright, I will.” They both finish breakfast in a very comfortable silence.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Around 11:00 am Tammy rings the doorbell.

 

“Oh, that’s probably Tammy,” Debbie says to Lou as she heads down the hall towards the door.

 

“Hello, you must be Lou.” Tammy extends her hand and smiles after Lou opens the door.

 

“Hey, Tammy, right?”

 

“Yes,” she walks in and takes her shoes off immediately, “I love heels but they absolutely kill my feet. Where’s Debbie?”

 

“In here!” Debbie calls from her bedroom.

 

“You know the way.” Lou gestures toward the hallway.

 

Tammy walks into Debbie’s room and extends her arms already preparing to bring her friend in for a hug. “Hey, sweetie, oh look at you.”

 

Most of the cuts on Debbie’s face and arms are almost all healed. “They look worse than they feel. My legs though, whole other story.”

 

“Is this your phone?” Tammy says picking it up before she sits in Lou’s chair.

 

“Oh, that’s Lou’s phone. Lou?”

 

“Yeah?” Lou comes in with her towel slung over her shoulder. 

 

“Your phone”

 

“Thanks.” She grabs it and begins to head out but turns around, “is it ok if I head out now?”

 

“Yes, of course, Tammy will help me with anything I need.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Tammy and Debbie have been talking for over an hour when Lou finally comes out of her room ready to leave. She knocks on the door lightly and walks into Debbie’s room.

 

“I’m heading out, you sure you don’t need anything before I leave?” Lou asks as she slips on her blazer.

 

Debbie’s mouth is hanging open in an almost comical way after getting a good look at Lou. Much like the first time Debbie saw her, she’s all dressed up, more so than usual. Skin tight, black, leather pants, a black, graphic, t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, a deep blue, velvet blazer, her usual array of accessories and a pair of charcoal grey vinyl boots.  When Tammy realizes her friend has been rendered speechless she answers for her.

 

“It’s fine, but thank you. You go out and have a nice day, I can’t imagine what it’s like being stuck with this one all day every day.”

 

Lou makes eye contact with Debbie finally and answers with a hint of a smile on her face, “it’s better than I thought it’d be.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Tammy orders them lunch, after it’s arrived and been distributed to each, she stares at Debbie as she eats. After ten minutes Debbie finally asks her, “ok, what is it, why are you staring at me with that look on your face?”

 

“Oh, nothing. Just wondering…”

 

“Wondering about what?”

 

“Wondering about who will make the first move, you or Lou.”

 

“What?”

 

“You and Lou, who’s gonna kiss who first.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Or have you two already kissed?”

 

“Tammy, what are you talking about?”

 

“You mean to tell me you don’t think she’s hot? And before you answer remember that I know when you’re lying and I saw your reaction to seeing her all dressed up.”

 

“She’s not unattractive…”

 

“Debbie, you were two seconds from drooling and your pupils were momentarily heart-shaped.”

 

“Not true, not true at all.”

 

“Not to mention that little bit of not quite eye fucking that happened right in front of me.”

 

“You have a very active imagination and are prone to making up scenarios in your head.”

 

“So you two haven’t kissed? Why not? She obviously likes you.”

 

Debbie chews on her food a bit. “You think so?”

 

“Debbie, you’re really smart, but so fucking clueless.” Tammy laughs out. “Do you like her?”

 

Debbie thinks for a minute. “I don’t know what it is I feel. I’ve only seen  _ her _ for the past three weeks and we spend nearly every moment either of us is awake together.”

 

“Let me ask you this, does she get any phone calls, does she text a lot?”

 

“No, no phone calls really. And when she does call anyone it’s usually to handle errands and such. And I haven’t seen her text much with anyone. Just the occasional message here and there.”

 

“Ok, that means we can use our powers of deduction and guess that’s she single.”

 

“Ok…” Debbie starts to worry when she sees the look in Tammy’s eyes.

 

“What does she usually do during the day when she’s not giving you your meds or making you something to eat?”

 

“Well, she usually spends the day with me.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“Well, we have breakfast together, she usually sits there,” Debbie points to the chair Tammy’s sitting in, “we talk about things, our lives, past and present, we play cards… last week I showed her my photo album, the one with pictures of my mom.”

 

Tammy looks at Debbie with softness in her eyes. “How did you feel after that?”

 

“I was surprisingly ok. I usually need to be alone after that, probably why I hadn’t looked at in over two years, but after I showed her I was…. good. I felt good. It’s almost like I wanted her, specifically, to see it.”

 

“Debbie you like her, you just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”

 

Just then Debbie’s phone pings. She opens the message and sees a picture of a tree whose leaves are all yellow, orange and red. She smiles at the picture.

 

“What are you smiling at?” Tammy asks in a sing-song voice.

 

“I mentioned to her that being stuck in bed sucked and she sent me a picture of outside.”

 

“She definitely likes you, Debbie. I’m sure of it now.”

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“She’s been in here with you for three weeks, gets a day off and not two hours after she leaves your apartment she’s texting you pictures of outside because you’re getting stir crazy from being stuck in bed. That’s called having a big ole crush.”

 

Debbie eats her food quietly and just looks at Tammy smiling smugly. Her phone then pings again.

 

“Is that her?”

 

“Yeah,” Debbie smiles and actually strokes the screen of her phone.

 

“Debbie, she likes you. And you like her. What you do with that information is for you to decide. I think you should explore it.”

 

“I haven’t dated anyone since-”

 

“Since Claude, right?” Debbie nods. “All the more reason to see where this leads. You guys don’t have to get married, just, I don’t know, flirt with her. See how she responds to that.”

 

Debbie takes a big sip of water and wonders how to handle all this information.


	7. Chapter 7

Tammy left at around 9 pm even after Debbie had insisted she didn’t have to stay so late especially since she had such a long drive home. So after watching a couple movies she pulls out her diary and a pen.

 

_ Tammy thinks I have feelings for Lou. Well, actually, she quite literally said I do and I’m just not owning up to it. I thought about that tonight, about if I have feelings for Lou. What if I do? What if I like her? What if I think she’s beautiful? What if I love how she communicates through a series of grunts in the morning? What if watching her towel dry her hair is one of the most sexually charged experiences I can endure without anything actually sexual happening?  _

 

Debbie sighs, taps her pen on the notebook.

 

_ What if she likes me back? Even worse, what if she doesn’t? _

 

Debbie heard the key in the lock jingle and knew it was Lou. She quickly puts her diary away and glances at the clock realizing it was already one in the morning.

 

She hears Lou in the kitchen and shortly after hears her coming down the hall. Her light is on so she expected Lou to stop by her room. She stands in the doorway leaning on the jamb, smiling, and doesn’t say anything until Debbie looks up.

 

“Looks like someone had fun.” Debbie says closing her bedside drawer.

 

Lou walks in and plops down on the chair, puts her socked feet up on Debbie’s bed, hands in her blazer pocket and sighs. “Yeah, I guess I did.” Then she laughs.

 

Not knowing why, Debbie laughs along with her. “You’re giggling, I didn’t take you for the kind of person that giggles.”

 

Lou shrugs, “Life is just full of surprises if you look close enough.” Then she laughs again, lighter this time.

 

Debbie leans forward and sniffs in her direction, “did you smoke? Oh my god, are you high…  _ and _ drunk?”

 

“No smoking remember? I had an edible and a  _ lot _ of vodka, Leslie smoked. Which reminds me,” she gets up, “I brought pizza, are you hungry?”

 

“I could eat.”

 

A minute later Lou comes back with the pizza box. “This isn’t D’Angelo’s, but it’s still bloody fucking good.” Her state of inebriation causing her accent to come out a little thicker.

 

Debbie laughs at this new side of Lou, enjoying it quite a bit. “What kind is it?”

 

“It’s a special order, Leslie got it.”

 

Debbie suddenly tenses a bit at the mention of the name again, glad that Lou is high enough not to notice she hopes. “Oh? Who’s Leslie?”

 

“She’s, well, I guess she’s my friend.”

 

“Ah, I see. Is she a close friend?”

 

“Sort of, I met her roommate, Constance, before I met her. We used to work at the same restaurant.” Lou hands the box over for Debbie to take a slice.

 

“It’s pepperoni.”

 

“Yeah, good, isn’t it?”

 

“You said it was a special order.” Debbie laughs as she takes a bite.

 

“Did I?” Lou takes a big bite.

 

“You definitely did.”

 

“Well, I remembered no mushroom. See, it says it right there on the box.” Lou points.

 

Debbie turns the box to read the lid. “So you did…”

 

“You have a nice time with your friend? Um…”

 

“Tammy. Yeah, it was great to see her. She, uh, she helped me realize a few things I hadn’t realized before.”

 

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

 

“Just some things.”

 

“Oh, come on, tell me. We can share things.” Lou says pointing between the two of them.

 

Debbie is delighted at this outspoken and outgoing side of Lou. Usually so cool and reserved, seeing her with little to no inhibitions is making her night.

 

“Oh, I know how to get you to talk.” Lou gets up quickly and reaches for the deck of cards on Debbie’s bedside table. “We’ll play war, same rules as last time.” Lou shuffles and deals out the cards.

 

They both put down a set of cards, Debbie wins.

 

“Where did you go today?”

 

“Lunch, the park, museum, the library, live music, club, Leslie and Constance’s place, then home.”

 

Debbie rather enjoyed Lou referring to her apartment as home.

 

Another set, Debbie wins again.

 

“Do you have anymore edibles?”

 

“I do, but you can’t have any, sorry. At least not while you’re on your meds.”

 

“Just a bite.”

 

“No, way. Imagine if something happened to you!” Lou reaches for the pizza box. “Besides I thought you were a straight-laced, law-abiding citizen lawyer.”

 

“I’m turning a new leaf so to speak.”

 

“Is that one of the things Tammy helped you realize? That you’re very uptight?” She picks off a pepperoni and drops it in her mouth, leaning her head back as she does.

 

Debbie laughed softly. “Sort of.”

 

Another set, Lou wins this time.

 

“Ah, finally. Ok, my question is… did you know you have a tell when you’re lying?”

 

“I do not.”

 

“Yes, you do.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I’m not gonna tell you. What if I we ever play poker for money, no way I’m making that any harder.” Lou says as she sinks into the chair and looks over at Debbie with the most content smile Debbie’s ever seen on a person. “What’d you do after Tammy left, before I got home?”

 

There it was again, she said ‘home’. “Oh, not much. Watched a few of my favorite movies, caught up on some of my tv shows.”

 

“Do you ever watch police procedurals?”

 

“Mhm,” Debbie says reaching for her bottle of water on the far end of her bedside table. Lou notices and gets it for her. “All the time actually. Danny says I’m insane for doing it.”

 

“I’ve always wondered about that, if lawyers watch those types of shows.”

 

“This one does and I genuinely enjoy them.”

 

“You’ve got a Netflix account, right?”

 

Debbie nods.

 

“Wanna watch now?”

 

“You sure you can stay awake through a whole episode?”

 

“Of course. Hang on,” Lou sits up, “you set up the tv and I’ll go change. Is it just me or did it get colder today?”

 

As Lou is changing Debbie does her best to tidy up her bed. She figured Lou could sit and watch from the bed since it would be more comfortable than the chair after all.

 

Lou comes back wearing flannel pyjama pants, socks and a hooded sweatshirt with a t-shirt under. “There that’s much better.” Lou makes her way to the chair.

 

“Oh.”

 

Lou stops in mid air. “What’s wrong? Did you need something?” And suddenly she’s ready to go get whatever it is Debbie needs.

 

“No, I’m fine, I just thought, well, since it’s cold out and the chair isn’t the most comfortable place to watch tv from, I just thought maybe you’d like to watch from the bed.”

 

“Yeah, ok, that sounds more comfortable.” Lou says as she walks around to the other side.

 

Debbie exhales a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She grabs her phone and opens up the Netflix app. “Ok, here we go… Law & Order.” She presses play waiting for her Chromecast to start the show on her TV.

 

Lou pulls out a bag from her sweatshirt pocket. “You like chocolate covered raisins?”

 

“Is this your idea of eating fruit?” Debbie grabs the bag offered to her and pours some in her hand.

 

“Is this the thanks I get for giving you free candy?”

 

Debbie smiles and playfully pushes into Lou’s shoulder with her own.

 

“Can I ask you a question, without the cards?”

 

“Mhm”

 

“What made you decide to become a lawyer?”

 

“My dad.”

 

“He was a lawyer too?”

 

“Yes, but he literally  _ made _ me become a lawyer. He guilted me into it.”

 

“Sorry, but that’s pretty shitty.”

 

“You’re right.” Debbie pops a couple more candies into her mouth reaching for the bag again. “He was a one track minded guy. He lived for the law and thought the best thing he could do as a single parent was to make sure Danny and I made a good living.”

 

“Did you ever try to tell him this wasn’t what you wanted?”

 

“I wanted to, but I didn’t have the guts. Every time I so much as hinted at it, he’d talk about my mom and well….”

 

“If you had the opportunity to redo university, what would you do?”

 

Debbie plays with a candy between her thumb and index finger. “I’ve always liked history, art history to be exact.”

 

“Yeah, I can picture you restoring artwork or curating pieces for a museum.”

 

“Maybe in another life,” Debbie looks at her hands. “If you could redo it all, what would you do?”

 

“Anthropology.”

 

“Really? I can’t see that.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t know, aside from tonight, you’re pretty reserved. And I just always thought anthropologists were always more, I don’t know, talkative?”

 

“Have you ever met an anthropologist?”

 

Debbie stops and realizes she hasn’t. “No”

 

“Neither have I.”

 

Debbie throws her head back and laughs. “Tonight, you’re the odd one.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

_ Debbie remembers screaming at Danny and storming off to get in her car. She pulls out of the parking lot and just as she does she hears a loud horn and nothing else. _

 

Debbie wakes up from her nightmare with a start. Her breathing is shallow and she’s shaking. She’s momentarily disoriented and unaware of her surroundings. It’s dark and she genuinely doesn’t know where she is. She feels movement in the bed next to her, turns her head, but can’t see in the dark.

 

“You alright?” She recognizes the voice instantly, relief washing over her immediately.

 

“Yes, I’m just…” Debbie’s breathing is off and Lou doesn’t even need to ask why she’s awake.

 

Lou takes her hand, strokes the back with her thumb and quietly sings to her in a quiet, sleepy voice. Debbie couldn’t quite make out the lyrics in her state of near hysteria, she didn’t stay awake long enough after that to try to decipher them either.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day Debbie woke up and before she even opened her eyes she stretched her hands and torso as far as she could. She struggled a little to sit up in bed so relaxed she was. As if on cue, Lou walks into her room and sits at the foot of her bed, no longer on the chair, casually placing a hand on her cast.

 

“Morning” She smiles at Debbie a sort of lazy smile.

 

Debbie realizes something. “Why do you never get dressed on Sundays?”

 

“Sundays are lazy days. Activities that require effort are strictly prohibited on Sundays.”

 

“Is that a personal rule or are you just hungover?”

 

“Really it should be a law and no not hungover.”

 

Debbie smiles. “What are you not doing today then?”

 

“Well, everything.” Lou smirks at Debbie. “What do you want for breakfast?” 

 

Debbie smiles, “I’ve got an idea. There’s a diner a few blocks from here that delivers. Let’s order breakfast from there, my treat.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

After a late breakfast, Lou decided she needed a nap and sauntered off to her room. Debbie used this time to herself to consult Tammy.

 

“Hey, Deb.”

 

“Hey, how are you?”

 

“Good, the kids are watching movies since it’s raining here today and that means I get to relax inside on the couch.”

 

“Can you talk a bit?”

 

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?

 

“We slept together.”

 

“What? Already? How? Like, really how? Your legs are…”

 

“Tammy, no sex, just sleeping. We were watching Law & Order in my bed and she fell asleep. I wasn’t about to wake her up and say ‘hey you gotta go’.”

 

“Ok, that makes more sense. That’s sweet though that you two went from not even flirting to a married couple in one night.”

 

“Funny. Another thing happened. I didn’t realize she was in my bed until I woke up in the middle of the night from an awful nightmare.”

 

“Did that wake her up?”

 

“Yes and…” Debbie hesitated.

 

“And… don’t leave it at that. Let me live vicariously through you.”

 

“She held my hand and sort of sang to me until I fell asleep.”

 

The other end is quiet for a minute. “Did she avoid you at all this morning?”

 

“No, I woke up and she wasn’t in bed this morning. But as soon as she heard I was awake she was at my door immediately.”

 

“What was her demeanor like?”

 

“Normal, friendly even. We had breakfast together.”

 

“Where is she now?”

 

“Napping.”

 

“When she got there last night was she drunk?”

 

“And high.”

 

“Try to talk to her, see what she remembers from the night before. Gauge her reaction when you talk about it.”

 

Debbie sighs heavily into the phone. “This is so inconvenient.”

 

Tammy laughs lightly at her friend. “Deb, you’re gonna have to open up to someone someday. At least with her she’s seen you at your lowest and she still likes you. That’s saying something.”

 

“Tammy, I’m not even sure if I like her like that. I only just stopped finding her annoying.”

 

“Debbie, my dear friend, you like her and I think we both know that isn’t up for debate. You may not admit it to yourself just yet but you do. You can talk around it all you want, but facts are facts.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

About an hour later Lou wakes up from her nap, hair mussed, eyes still barely open and almost stumbles into Debbie’s room and onto the foot of Debbie’s bed, opposite her legs, as if it were instinct.

 

“Hey” Lou mumbles out.

 

“Have a nice nap?”

 

“Those pancakes were laced with something.” Lou yawns and lazily stretches her limbs as far as they go causing her shirt to ride up a little. Debbie’s eyes are drawn to her exposed abdomen like a magnet. Lou catches her staring, but doesn’t say anything.

 

With the lingering smile she watches Debbie try to look anywhere but her face. In an attempt to make the situation go away Debbie talks about the weather. “I was watching the local news this morning and they say next weekend we might get some heavy snow and I was wondering if maybe you could pick up some groceries?”

 

“Sure, I’ll go tomorrow, that alright?”

 

“Yes, of course, lazy Sundays ought to be observed whenever possible.” She says with a smile.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

A week later and they’re snowed in. Completely snowed in. The kind of snowed in where leaving the building isn’t even a possibility. Debbie’s pain had become manageable enough where moving wasn’t so excruciating so she asked Lou to help her get to the living room. They both sat on the couch, Lou pulled the coffee table closer so Debbie could keep her legs propped up.

 

Debbie settled with a book and Lou was flipping through a magazine casually dropping the question, “can I give you a sleeve on your leg?”

 

“Can you give me a  _ what _ on my leg?”

 

“Your left leg cast doesn’t have any signatures on it. Can I draw on it? I’ll give you a full sleeve like a tattoo.”

 

“You can draw?”

 

Lou nods, “decent enough.”

 

“Draw me something first and then I’ll decide based on the evidence.”

 

“You’re not in court, you know.” She goes to her room and comes back with a sketch pad. She plops back down next to Debbie and opens it, flipping through the pages.

 

Debbie notices how good they are. “An artistic scientist, that’s a first.”

 

“Does that mean you’ve never heard of da Vinci?”

 

“Shit, you’re right.”

 

“Ok, sit still and don’t move.” Lou sits facing Debbie. “Find a comfortable position because you’re gonna have to hold it for a little while.”

 

Debbie asks Lou to help her shift her legs to the left a little so she’s turned facing Lou slightly. She leans her elbow on the armrest and her head in her hand. She wears a pleased but pensive expression on her face. 

 

“Is this ok?” Debbie asks not moving.

 

Lou looks at her a moment and answers, “perfect.”

 

After a little while of both of them sitting quietly listening to the sound of Lou moving her pencil across the sketch pad she finally finishes.

 

“Done.”

 

“Let me see,” Lou hands it over. Debbie looks at it closely.

 

“It’s just a quick sketch, it’s not very good.” She says as she massages her right hand.

 

“You’re joking right?” Debbie says without looking away. “This is… this is amazing.”

 

“Do I pass the test then?”

 

Debbie looks confused momentarily. “Oh, right yes, the cast. Yes, you pass the test.”

 

Lou reaches for a pouch filled with permanent markers of every color. “Do you want something specific?”

 

Debbie thinks for a moment. She thinks about all the places she wants to visit, but is too scared to go to.

 

“Make it look like a trip around the world.” She says looking a bit sad. Lou notices but doesn’t say anything.

 

Lou picks up a thick pencil and begins outlining the sleeve.

 

“Do you travel a lot?” She asks making broad pencil strokes.

 

Debbie looks at her a moment, thinking of the best way to answer the question, “not as much as I’d like.” She threads her fingers through her own hair, closing her eyes as she does.

 

Lou looks up and sees her, watching the gesture and finding herself holding her breath.

 

Debbie opens her eyes just in time to catch her quickly look away and smiles.

 

“Why not?”

 

Debbie sighs deeply, trying to decide if she’ll be honest with Lou or just give her one of the many rehearsed answers she has. “I usually just tell people it’s because of work, but the truth is I’m scared.”

 

“You? scared?” Lou says laughing a bit.

 

“Not of flying or anything, but I’ve literally been trained for what I do my whole life. Doing anything outside of the road that’s been paved for me just…. It fills me with an inexplicable anxiety and sense of dread.”

 

Lou nods, “I know what you mean. I felt that, but I did it anyway. Then soon after I moved clear across the world.”

 

Debbie grabs a throw pillow and hugs it, something she does without even noticing, for comfort. “Why did you move?”

 

Lou doesn’t answer at first. She keeps doing the outline and then looks at Debbie briefly before resuming, “don’t we usually play cards to ask these kinds of questions?”

 

Debbie smiles, “yeah, but right now you’re busy doing cast art.”

 

Lou smiles, “to get away.”

 

“From someone or something?”

 

“From everything.”

 

“I thought you said you missed your friends.”

 

“Sure I do, but I wasn’t in a good place there. Mentally, physically, emotionally. It was all just too much. So, I moved.”

 

“To New York?”

 

“Not at first. I was in London for a long time. Then Dublin, then London again. Didn’t make it out here until about two or three years ago.” 

 

“Do you like it here?”

 

“Yeah, it’s fun.... lot’s to do.”

 

Debbie tries her best to keep her tone casual for her next question, “do you think you’ll stay here? For awhile?”

 

Lou stops outlining and looks up at Debbie, her eyes full of unspoken words, “Lately I find myself wanting to, but no one can ever be completely sure of their future.”

 

She outlines the sleeve in just under an hour and a half. As she picks out the first marker she asks, “why don’t you make time? To travel, I mean.”

 

“You sound like Danny.”

 

“Well, he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.”

 

“It’s not…. I can’t just pick up and go. I have things that need to be taken care of.”

 

“By you specifically or can they be handled by someone else.”

 

Debbie doesn’t have an answer. She knows both Danny and Lou have a point, but she’ll be damned if she admits it.

 

“Traveling is expensive.”

 

Lou looks around Debbie’s very nice apartment then back at her, “you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself.”

 

“You’re really irritating.”

 

“I’m well aware.” Lou drawls with a lop-sided smile filling in the spaces with a red marker. “It might make it easier to go if you go with someone.”

 

“Yeah? Like who?”

 

“Someone you trust, who understands you and your reasons for being hesitant towards travel.”

 

Debbie looks at her for a while, not caring if Lou knew or saw, “finding the right person isn’t exactly easy, you know.”

 

Lou looks up making eye contact with Debbie, “Sometimes all you have to do is ask.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

A couple of hours later Lou is done with Debbie’s cast. “There we go, all done.” Lou takes a picture of it and shows it to Debbie.

 

“That’s really good, text me that, please. Have you ever thought about selling your work?”

 

“I don’t have any pieces completed. Just the stuff in my sketchbook, stuff I scribble on napkins, that sort of thing.” Lou taps away at her phone sending Debbie the photo.

 

“Why not?”

 

“I guess I just never thought of myself as an artist.”

 

“Oh,  _ please _ you have all those really good sketches and then you just do something like this and you don’t consider yourself an artist?”

 

Lou doesn’t really know what to say. “It’s not that simple, I can’t just sit down and just draw anything. I need to be inspired, I need a reason to make art. Just like a writer needs something to write about.”

 

Debbie nods in understanding. “I guess we both want to do things that we keep ourselves from doing.”

 

Lou looked at Debbie as if she’d just tapped into a part of her no one has seen in far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday as a self care gesture for myself because I had a _very_ shitty day at work, but I fell asleep instead. So, here it is today!


	9. Chapter 9

Five days later Debbie is staring at the photo of her cast sleeve again and sends it to Tammy.

 

**Tammy:** That’s cool, is that in the city?

 

**Debbie:** What? No, that’s not graffiti. Lou gave me a sleeve on my cast.

 

**Tammy:** Wow, that’s really good. You never mentioned she was an artist.

 

**Debbie:** I didn’t know. She never told me either. According to her she isn’t.

 

**Tammy:** She’s either extremely modest or extremely blind because that’s amazing. 

 

**Debbie:** Exactly what I thought.

 

**Tammy:** So now she’s decorating your cast huh?

 

**Debbie:** We had nothing else to do. She sketched me too.

 

**Tammy:** So, in this version you’re Rose and she’s Jack?

 

**Debbie:** Very funny. I needed a way of knowing she was good so she sketched me as a test of sorts.

 

**Tammy:** I’m still waiting on the day you call me to tell me you guys finally made out. I’ve never been in the same room as you two for than a minute, but I can feel your feelings for her through the phone.

 

**Debbie:** I’m still trying to figure all this out. I mean, I realize that there may be something there, but I’m not sure what it is exactly yet. I just don’t want to do anything stupid.

 

**Tammy:** Stop making excuses, Debbie.

 

**Debbie:** I just haven’t dated in so long I fear that I’ll fuck up everything before it even turns into anything.

 

Debbie puts her phone down and lays her head back onto the couch. She hears Lou singing in the shower and smiles. From what Debbie gathered in the past couple of weeks, Lou really liked rock and roll. Classic rock, 70s soft rock, metal, glam rock, 80s hair bands, grunge, hardcore, garage rock, indie… if there was the basic rock band setup, Lou listened to it.

 

Debbie was still on the couch sitting when Lou walked out towel-drying her hair as Debbie stared like a teenager in puberty all over again. Before Lou could see her legitimately gawking, she asks her a question.

 

“I always thought you’d be more of a Bon Scott fan.”

 

Lou smiles at the question, “yeah, he’s good, but Brian Johnson was the voice behind Back in Black, so there’s zero argument there about who’s better.”

 

Lou looked at Debbie impressed, “I’m surprised you know even that much to be perfectly honest.”

 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

 

“That’s true.” Lou holds her hand up signalling she’ll be right back. She returns without her towel and with her phone looking for something on it.

 

She sits down very close to Debbie and hands it to her. “That’s during the Razor’s Edge tour in,” Lou stops to think for a moment, “1990? 1991? Sometime around there.”

 

Debbie looks at Lou on some guy’s shoulder and smiles at how happy she looks and at the amount of hairspray in her hair. “Who’s that?”

 

“That was my girlfriend’s brother. She wasn’t into rock music, but he was so we went together. He was a nice guy, fucking insane, but a sweet guy.”

 

Debbie hands the phone back and Lou shuffles through some more pictures and hands it over to Debbie again.

 

“That was in 1997, I think, they were touring for a new album.” Debbie looks at the image, now decades old. Wondering momentarily how differently her life would have turned out had she met Lou at that age.

 

“Do you play anything?”

 

“No, not really. I mean I can pick up a bass and play a chord or two, but I can’t really play.”

 

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

 

“Play your cards right and you just might learn more.” She gets up and quietly makes her way into the kitchen.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

They’re both on the couch, Debbie reading and Lou flipping through a magazine. Lou puts down the magazine and picks up another one. She flips through that and puts it down, picking up another one. As she’s flipping through the third magazine Debbie notices she’s started biting her fingernails. Without even thinking Debbie extends her hand and lightly swats Lou on her arm.

 

“No biting your nails, it’ll make your teeth crooked.”

 

Lou stares at her in complete confusion, “..... _ what _ ?”

 

“My aunt Rose used to tell me that when I started biting my fingernails.” Debbie recalls fondly.

 

“Well it’s bullshit.” Lou says sharply.

 

Not used to Lou giving such biting answers Debbie looks at her a minute. She sees Lou is nervous about something because she hasn’t stopped fidgeting all day. She’s mulling over any and all possibilities when it hits her. Lou has been living with her for about two months now and hasn’t had a single cigarette all because Danny mentioned Debbie hated cigarettes.

 

“Do me a favor? In my closet there’s a white shoebox with black block letters on it, can you bring me that please?”

 

Lou nods and disappears down the hallway. A few minutes later she’s in the living room, handing it over to Debbie. 

 

“Can you get me a dish towel from the kitchen, too, please?”

 

Lou returns and Debbie pats the spot on the couch next to her. “Now, I can’t turn fully, but if you sit close enough I can still do this.”

 

Lou watches Debbie put a throw pillow on her lap and lay the dish towel over it carefully. 

 

Debbie picks up the box and places it in Lou’s lap, lid still on. “Pick a color.”

 

Lou silently opens the lid revealing several bottles of nail polish. She looks up at Debbie then back at the box. She picks a deep maroon color and places the box on the coffee table.

 

Debbie takes the bottle, shakes it a bit, then looks up at Lou, “you’ll have to scooch closer, I can’t angle myself so I’ll have to do it like I’m painting my own.”

 

Lou sits up against Debbie, close enough to smell her shampoo. Debbie loops her arm over Lou’s, resting Lou’s hand on the dish towel, and unscrews the top. “Now, sit still and this will be done before you know it.”

 

Lou watches her paint the first nail with the same precision as someone who’s done this countless times before. Debbie looks at her handy work and then asks Lou, “what do you think? We can try another color if you don’t like this one.”

 

“No, I like it, I’ll keep this one.”

 

Debbie goes on to do the next fingernail, “that sketch you made of me that day, how much for it?”

 

The feeling of the cool polish on her nail beds was oddly soothing to Lou, “you don’t have to pay for it, I’ll give it to you.”

 

“You’re an artist and I want to buy your art.” Debbie picks up another finger, “you don’t have to give me a number now, but think about it.”

 

Debbie notices Lou has relaxed a bit, her breathing is more even and she’s not so jittery. “Are you doing anything for Christmas? Do you have plans?”

 

“No, not really. Maybe just go to a bar if I find one open.”

 

“Well,” she says picking up another finger, “you’re welcome to stop by. Danny and Tess are going to be in LA for a while longer and Tammy is going to Miami to visit her husband’s parents. Reuben and Rose go to the Bahamas every year.”

 

“You’re going to be alone?”

 

“Not,” she taps Lou’s hand signalling she’s done and waiting for the other one, “if you spend it with me. I don’t always do all the holidays, growing up both Catholic and Jewish, there were so many. I just observe them on and off, a few one year, a few the next.”

 

“I don’t want to impose.” Lou feels Debbie hold the next finger.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m  _ asking _ you to come. Your decision though.” Debbie takes another finger.

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Absolutely,” says Debbie nodding her head and grabbing another finger, “but only if you want.” Debbie looks at Lou’s fingernails and admires her work.

 

“Oh, not bad.” Lou looks her newly polished nails over.

 

Debbie smiles at having helped Lou with something for a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that celebrate it, Happy Christmas Eve Eve!   
> For those who don't, fucking Monday, huh?
> 
> Let me know what you think and come on over and bug me on Tumblr (@neighborhoodspaceman) too!


	10. Chapter 10

A couple of days later Lou drives Debbie to the hospital for her to get her cast removed.

 

“I can’t believe I’m actually getting these off. Although I’m gonna miss my, what did you call it?”

 

“Sleeve”

 

“Right.” Debbie’s sitting on a hospital bed waiting on Reuben.

 

“You should get a real one.”

 

“A sleeve?!” 

 

“Maybe not a full sleeve, but at least a tattoo.”

 

Just then Reuben arrives. “Look at you! You’re healing real nice.” He says looking at her cuts.

 

“Hey, Reuben.” Debbie points to Lou on a chair, much the same setup as Debbie’s room. “This is Lou.”

 

“Hello, nice to meet you.” He says putting on some gloves as a nurse comes in with a cart. “Ok, now let’s get these off and get you another x-ray. I love what you’ve done with it.”

 

“That’s Lou’s work.”

 

“You’re a real artist!”

 

“Not really, just good with a marker is all.”

 

Debbie smiles at Lou’s modesty. 

 

\----------//////////----------

 

After the x-ray is deemed to be acceptable Reuben goes to fetch Debbie a pair of crutches and two leg braces.

 

“Now,” he says walking back into the room, “just because your casts are off doesn’t mean you can go run a marathon.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

“Try to take it easy, and don’t put any unnecessary weight on your legs, alright?”

 

“Got it,” Debbie tries the crutches, “I’m suddenly very aware of my legs.”

 

Reuben laughs a bit, “that’s common. What’s your first order of business without the cast?”

 

“I’m going to take a nice, long, hot bubble bath.”

 

“Rose uses lavender in her baths, says it relaxes her. Maybe you should try that.”

 

“Thanks, Reuben.” Debbie smiles and gives her uncle a big hug. 

 

“You’re welcome, Deb. Oh, by the way, that pamphlet and that list I gave you earlier, make sure to give that to your caretaker.”

 

Debbie looks confused, “I did, you saw me hand them to Lou.”

 

“Oh. She’s your  _ caretaker _ ? Oh, I just thought two were togeth- you know what, never mind. I’ve gotta go, you two take care.”

 

Debbie looks at the door Reuben just went through and then at Lou. Neither of them quite understanding what just happened.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie called the physical therapy clinic and set up twice a week home appointments since travel was still difficult for her. She spoke a little with her physical therapist, Amita, on the phone and emailed her all the x-rays and other information Reuben had asked her to pass along. Debbie felt safe in Amita’s knowledge and experience and was less worried after speaking with her.

 

She checks the time and decides she wants that bath she mentioned earlier. She picks up her crutches and hobbles all the way to the living room where she finds Lou stretched out on the couch reading a book. Lou hears the crutches and looks up.

 

“Hey, look who’s up and about. How does it feel?”

 

“Not as good as when I no longer have to use these, but still better than before.”

 

“I bet.” Lou says sitting up.

 

“I was gonna take a bath. I figured, I’ll drain the tub, get a robe and then you can help pull me out of it?”

 

“Sounds like a plan, keep your phone nearby and just text me so you don’t have to scream across the apartment.”

 

Debbie shakes her head smiling and hobbles back toward her room.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie could not be more excited for a bath. To sit, submerged in warm, soapy water and just let her muscles relax.

 

As she sits in the tub and just relishes in the feeling of total and complete comfort she leans her head back and takes a deep breath. Her life had changed so much in the past two months. An accident that left her completely dependent on someone else. 

 

The accident part she knew she’d recover from, but the part that was always swimming around in her head was the ‘someone else’ part. Debbie was intrigued by Lou. She was interested in knowing more, everything about her. She wanted to know even the smallest things, like what she was like as a child to why she really left Australia. She wanted to sit closely to Lou like she did in her bed the day they were looking at the photo album. She wanted to hold Lou’s hand again. She wanted to fall asleep next to her.

 

Debbie splashed some water onto her face and immediately noticed it.

 

“Ah, shit. Shit.” She forgot the lavender drops on the kitchen counter.

 

“Lou!”

 

Lou comes running to the bathroom door at the tone she heard in Debbie’s voice. “Yes? Are you ok?” She says just outside the door.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I forgot the lavender drops in the kitchen, can you get those for me please?”

 

“Sure” Lou’s shoulders sagging with the relief of knowing Debbie wasn’t hurt.

 

Lou comes back with the drops, “where do you want me to leave them?”

 

Debbie thought for a moment. She couldn’t ask Lou to leave them in her room because that would require getting up. And for her to get up, she’d have to drain the tub and get her robe on and have Lou pull her out.

 

“Fuck” Debbie says under her breath. “Um, do you think that maybe,” she hesitates a second, “that you could hand them to me? In here?”

 

Debbie doesn’t hear anything and thinks for a moment that Lou walked away.

 

“Ok, yeah. I’m coming in so…” Lou leaves that hanging in the air.

 

Debbie tries not to act like the whole situation is awkward, but Debbie doesn’t know how to be casual around Lou successfully. Lou takes a few steps in while averting her eyes, extending her hand toward Debbie. Debbie places her hand on the edge of the tub and reaches with the other for the drops. Just as she’s about to grab the vial, her wet hand on the tub slips and she falls unceremoniously back into the tub. She’s fine, what surprised her more was Lou’s genuinely concerned reaction.

 

“Oh my god, are you alright?” Lou rushes toward her, Debbie’s nudity no longer even on Lou’s mind, her main concern being Debbie’s well being.

 

“Yeah, just a bruised ego is all.” Debbie says rubbing her elbow that bumped into the tub. Lou is holding her arm, replacing Debbie’s hand and continues to rub her elbow for her, crouched down by the tub.

 

Their eyes meet. Lou briefly looks down at Debbie’s lips and realizes Debbie is doing the same when she looks back at Debbie’s eyes. Both lost in the moment for what seems like too long and not long enough all at the same time when suddenly reality hits them. Lou averts her gaze and quietly walks out. Debbie almost wants to call her back in.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Later that night Debbie pulls her diary out again and decides to add an entry.

 

_ Tammy was right. _

 

_ I like Lou. I think I like her a lot at this point because I was about a second away from kissing her tonight and possibly pulling her into the tub with me. _

 

Debbie taps her pen on the notebook.

 

_ I honestly don’t know where to go from here. I like her and I want to kiss her, but it’s just not that easy. I don’t  _ do  _ feelings. It’s how I’ve managed to avoid heartache after Claude for all these years. But with her I don’t feel anxiety about any of this. Yes, there’s hesitation, but I don’t get that deep feeling of dread.  _

 

_ I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. _


	11. Chapter 11

It’s the middle of the night after the tub incident and Lou hears Debbie having another nightmare. Even after getting her cast off they never stopped leaving their doors open at night.

 

Debbie wakes up with Lou by her side holding her hand and lightly shaking her shoulder to wake her up. Debbie opens her eyes and the first thing she sees is Lou and is relieved almost instantly.

 

“You were having another nightmare.”

 

“I woke you up, I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s fine, I was just worried.” Lou wipes the hair stuck to Debbie’s now sweaty forehead to the side. “Have some water.”

 

Debbie sits up, downs the entire glass and closes her eyes. “I wonder when those are gonna stop.”

 

Lou takes the glass from her, setting it down on her bedside table. “With time they will.” After seeing Debbie is ok, Lou starts to stand, but Debbie holds her hand tight.

 

“Do you think…” Debbie takes a deep breath finding the courage, “that you could stay?”

 

Without a word Lou gets up and walks towards the door. Debbie thinks she’s going back to her room and begins to regret asking her. Lou closes the door and quietly walks around to the other side of the bed, getting in. Debbie slides back down and lies on her side facing Lou, mirroring Lou’s position.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Lou nods then takes Debbie’s hand and brings it to her face. Lou softly brushes her lips on Debbie’s knuckles, never looking away. 

 

“Close your eyes, try to sleep.”

 

As Debbie close her eyes she hears Lou quietly, ever so softly, sing to her. She vaguely recognized the tune before falling fast asleep.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

The next morning Debbie wakes up and sighs contentedly. Her first night of sleep without her cast and Lou was right there next to her. She hears Lou coming down the hall and appear in the door, but instead of making her way to the chair, Lou walks around and sits beside her in bed. And Debbie couldn’t help but realize just how  _ natural  _ it felt.

 

“Morning, I got you tea.” Lou says before taking a sip of her coffee.

 

“Thanks,” Debbie takes a sip, “oh this is good, is it new?”

 

“Yeah, I picked it up the day we got your lavender drops.”

 

Debbie blushes at the mention of the drops. “Oh,” She smiles, looking away.

 

“It’s lemon, blueberry and lavender. I figure if the drops help you relax, having some in your tea might help too.”

 

Debbie nods as she takes another sip, closing her eyes at the warmth.

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t see anything.”

 

Debbie looks at her waving a hand dismissively, “nothing you haven’t seen before, right?”

 

Lou smiles at her with a bit of mirth in her eyes, “what do you want for breakfast?”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

It’s a cold and rainy evening and Debbie and Lou sit on the couch under the same blanket, sharing popcorn and watching some cheesy 80s horror film that’s funnier than it is scary.

 

“God, look at that knife.”

 

“I think it’s plastic.” Lou comments before throwing some popcorn into her mouth.

 

“Can I try?”

 

“Try what?”

 

“Throwing popcorn and having you catch it in your mouth.”

 

Lou smiles, “sure, but we have to be on opposite ends of the couch. Or else it’s just too easy.”

 

Debbie’s competitiveness surfaces, “you’re on.”

 

Lou places the bowl between them, “you get a shot, then I get a shot.”

 

Debbie tosses a piece and almost misses but Lou moves and it goes in. 

 

“That’s cheating!”

 

“How am I cheating if I’m helping you?!”

 

“It’s…” Debbie tries to think of a reason.

 

“Is this how you defend your clients?” Lou smirks at her.

 

Debbie laughs and grabs a pillow, “come closer so I can smack you with this pillow.”

 

Lou tries to grab it from her as she swings and misses.

 

“You maybe be a good lawyer, but you’re shit at sports.” Lou takes it and holds it away with one hand.

 

Debbie struggles to reach so she lunges forward in her attempt and ends up falling on top of Lou and pinning her to the couch. Both slightly out of breath at the game stay in that position, faces close, eyes searching.

 

Debbie looks at Lou’s lips and slowly starts to move toward them when Debbie’s phone rings.

 

“Oh, my phone.” Debbie’s pushing off of Lou and silently cursing whoever is calling her.

 

“You better get that.” Lou gets up and heads towards the bathroom.

 

Debbie answers, voice sounding annoyed, “hello.”

 

“Oh, sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?”

 

“Oh, hey, Tammy, no it’s fine.”

 

“You sound upset, what’s the matter?”

 

“I was just… surprised at your call.”

 

“Were you asleep? It’s barely nine.”

 

“No, I wasn’t. We’re watching a movie.”

 

“We?”

 

“Lou and I.”

 

“So, you’re referring to you guys as ‘we’ now?”

 

“It’s quicker that way.”

 

“Sure it is,” Tammy says with a smile in her voice, “I wanted to know if could stop by tomorrow, I could bring us lunch and you can give Lou a couple hours off.”

 

“Yeah, that could work, but make it a late lunch. I have my first physical therapy appointment tomorrow at eleven.”

 

Tammy smiles, happy at the fact that her friend is getting better, “I’m happy to hear that. Ok, I’ll be there at three, is that good?”

 

“Sounds great, see you then.”

 

Lou comes back out just then and makes her way toward the couch. In a quick move to recreate their previous positions, Debbie pulls back the blanket and pats the spot next to her. Lou, not even thinking twice about it, sits down and they both continue watching their awful movie.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

She’s not sure if it’s the decreasing temperature or the change in air pressure due to the rain, but Debbie’s in an unusual amount of pain that night. Lou stays by her side as she takes slow tentative steps using her crutches.

 

“I thought after I got the cast off some of the pain would go away.”

 

They made it to Debbie’s bed and Lou gently helps her into bed.

 

“Do you want some tea?” Lou says, pulling the sleeves to her sweater up to her elbows.

 

“Do we still have anymore of that blueberry lavender stuff?” Debbie’s face contorts with a sharp stab of pain.

 

“Yeah, we do. Be right back.”

 

Ten minutes later Lou comes back with two mugs. She sets one down on Debbie’s bedside table as Debbie is rubbing lotion on her skin, then makes her way around the bed and sits facing Debbie.

 

Debbie takes a sip of her tea and notices something different, “what’s that taste? It wasn’t there this morning.”

 

“I added some rosemary. It’s got anti inflammatory compounds which are supposed boost your immune system and help with circulation too. Do you not like it?”

 

“No, it’s not that, I like it.” Debbie smiles into her tea, touched at the thought put into it. “Thank you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“For the tea.” Debbie looks at Lou over her mug, eyes sparkling. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Tammy’s coming over tomorrow around three so you can have the afternoon to yourself.”

 

“Oh. Yeah, ok, sure.” Lou sounds sad almost and Debbie notices a change in her demeanor.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, fine.”   
  


“Are you sure? Because…..” Debbie realizes that Lou may not have wanted to leave when Tammy came and could have possibly felt as if she was being shoo’d away. “You know… you don’t  _ have _ to leave when Tammy gets here tomorrow. You can stay, I just thought that maybe you’d like to get away from me for a while.” Debbie lets out a small laugh.

 

Lou looks her in the eyes, “now why would I want to do a thing like that?”

 

Not knowing what to say next Debbie points to the television and asks, “wanna watch tv?”

 

Lou quietly slips into what can now be considered her side of the bed and automatically shimmies over to sit flush against Debbie. And without a second thought, below the covers, Debbie’s hand searches until she finds refuge in Lou’s warm hand. 

 

They’ve grown comfortable with each other, their behavior not seeming strange or out of place to them. It felt natural, it felt right. Like they were supposed to grow closer and closer each passing day. Debbie is toying with one of Lou’s smaller rings she’s left on and pulls both their hands out from under the covers.

 

She brings it up closer to her eyes, the light of the tv not enough so she turns on her bedside lamp. She looks it over, then looks at Lou’s nails.

 

“You did a good job with that.” Lou mentions.

 

“Thanks,” she turns Lou’s hand over, palm up and studies it. She studies the lines running from one end of her palm to the other. She studies every groove and line of Lou’s knuckles, touching one here and there. She slowly slides her hand over Lou’s and laces their fingers together, bending hers then looking up to see Lou’s reaction.

 

Lou’s eyes bore so deeply into hers Debbie almost looked away. Lou bent her fingers completely locking their hands together. She brings Debbie’s hands to her lips and kisses her knuckles slowly, painstakingly so. Lou brings her other hand up to Debbie’s face, caressing her thumb across Debbie’s cheek so softly she almost didn’t feel it.

 

And with the hum of the television in the background, the cold outside and the growing warmth inside each of them, Lou slowly brought their lips together in a kiss so soft and quiet Debbie could have mistaken it for a dream were it not for Lou’s contented sigh.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning they wake up, again next to each other, only this time Lou is still in bed. She’s awake and watching Debbie as she stirs awake.

 

“Were you watching me sleep?” Debbie stretches, yawns and turns over carefully to face Lou. “That’s creepy.”

 

Lou smiles, finds Debbie’s hand and kisses it. “Are you ready for today?”

 

“Yes?” Debbie didn’t understand why she was asked that.

 

“Today’s your first day of physical therapy.” Lou gets up and stretches lazily. Debbie’s eyes follow her every movement stopping at the exposed skin where her shirt rode up.

 

Lou walks around to Debbie side, places her hand on Debbie’s bedside table for support then bends down very close to Debbie’s face. Debbie closes her eyes expecting a kiss, when she doesn’t feel Lou’s lips on hers she opens them and gives her a confused look.

 

“It’s impolite to stare.” Then she gives Debbie a mischievous grin and picks up Debbie’s tea mug from the night before and makes her way out to the kitchen. 

 

Debbie rolls her eyes and groans at Lou’s little game. “Yeah, yeah.” She gets up, grabs her crutches and makes her way to the bathroom.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Her physical therapist arrives promptly at ten. Before the actual therapy starts she takes some time to explain to Debbie what kind of exercises she’ll be having Debbie do and what muscles they strengthen. After a thorough explanation where all questions, by both Debbie and Lou, are answered, they make their way to Debbie’s bedroom as the space on the bed is better than the couch.

 

“Ok, first we’ll start with some light hamstring stretches.” Amita says as she places her bag down. Lou places the chair right next to Debbie’s bed.

 

Amita begins with slow and easy stretches. First one leg, then the other. She explains each movement as she helps Debbie through it. 

 

“Where’s my phone?” Lou notices suddenly she doesn’t have it.

 

“It’s on your side.” Debbie points over to the other bedside table. Lou walks over, grabs it and starts reading through her messages.

 

After forty minutes Debbie is surprised at her own endurance,“will the other appointment this week have me doing these same exercises? Or will it be a different set?” she asks Amita.

 

“No, we’ll have two sets per week for the duration of your therapy. Depending on your overall development we can tailor the exercises to suit your specific needs.” Amita explains.

 

“Will there be any exercises she can do at home, in between appointments?” Lou asks Amita.

 

“Yes, I have a pamphlet, it comes with a DVD, that will explain the ones you can do on your own. They won’t be as intense as the stuff we’re doing here, but they’ll still aid in your recovery.” 

 

And just as Amita gently positions Debbie’s leg for the next exercise Debbie feels an unusually sharp pain in her knee and lets out an uncharacteristic yelp. Lou immediately reaches for Debbie’s right hand with both of hers and holds it stroking her thumbs over the back of Debbie’s hand. Amita continues the exercises as Lou continues to hold Debbie’s hand.

 

“We sent over a welcome package in the mail, did you get it?” Amita asks Debbie.

 

“Oh, shit, I haven’t checked the mail in a couple days. I’ll go now while she’s still here.” Lou says to Debbie. She gives Debbie a kiss to her hand and goes off.

 

After a few minutes that Lou had gone Amita attempts polite conversation. “You two are too adorable together. How long have you two been married?”

 

Debbie lifts herself onto her elbows, “what?”

 

“You and your wife, you guys are so in sync. How long ago did you get married? Or rather, how long have you two been together?”

 

Debbie doesn’t even know how to answer. She opens her mouth hoping an answer will magically tumble out but nothing does.

 

“My mother keeps getting on my case about getting married. It used to be just marriage, but lately she’s been trying to guilt me for not having kids yet. I mean, I’m not putting my career on hold, just because her friend’s accountant son is intimidated by a woman who’s sure of herself.”

 

“My dad was like that. Not so much about marriage, more just about my career really. So, I can relate.”

 

Just then Lou walks back in and catches the tail end of the conversation. “What can who relate to?”

 

“I was just asking your wife,” Amita slowly bends Debbie’s knee, “how long you two have been together.”

 

Lou looks at Debbie and Debbie gives her an ‘I honestly don’t know how I got myself into this’ look. “I can never remember, my  _ wife _ is the one that’s good with dates.”

 

Lou glances at Debbie and almost can’t help but laugh at the look of genuine shock on Debbie’s face at Lou’s answer.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

“Now she’s gonna think we’re married.” Debbie says after shutting the door for Amita as she left.

 

“I’m not the one who started it.” Lou says walking into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and pulling out an apple.

 

Debbie doesn’t want to say anything, but she’s noticed over the past couple of weeks that Lou’s eating habits have changed. She’s eating more real food and less food that could strictly be found in a vending machine. She still drinks way too much coffee though.

 

“I wasn’t the one who started it either. She asked and I just didn’t know how to answer.” She hobbled over toward Lou. “Tammy’s bringing lunch, I told her you’re staying, so don’t spoil your appetite.”

 

Lou looks Debbie right in the eye and takes another bite of the apple and steps away from her. “I’m hungry.”

 

“I’m trying to save you here, you don’t wanna get on Tammy’s angry mom side. I did once and she almost made me write ‘I will not talk with my mouth full at the table’ a couple dozen times.”

 

Lou laughs, taking another bite. 

 

“Lou…” Debbie warns.

 

Another bite. “If you want me to stop,” she takes a step backward toward the entrance of the kitchen, “then come and get it.” 

 

Debbie hobbles toward her as fast as she can with her crutches. “Lou, I’m serious. I promise I’ll never say this again, but you need to stop eating that apple.”

 

Lou stops just near the front door, not wanting to get too ahead of Debbie. “I told you, if you want it so bad, come get it.”

 

Debbie approaches Lou, their faces inches apart. Lou holds up the hand with the apple in it over her head so Debbie can’t reach. The two are in stare down, a very sexually charged stare down. Debbie looks down at Lou’s lips. Lou raises her eyebrows challenging Debbie. Their chests rising and falling in unison. They were so wrapped up in the game, in each other, they didn’t hear Tammy open the door and stand there, lunch in hand, just watching them close to fiercely making out.

 

“Am I early?” Tammy says looking between the two with an expression half way between laughter and amusement.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

“She said it was ‘for science’, her words not mine.” Tammy is telling the story about her daughter cutting her brother’s hair in his sleep.

 

“At least it’s for a noble cause,” Lou says before sipping her drink.

 

“I blame Debbie.”

 

“Me? Why me, what did I do?”

 

“You got her that science kit for her birthday and now she thinks she’s a real scientist.”

 

“Maybe Lou can give her some pointers.” At Tammy’s confused expression Debbie explains, “she’s a chemical engineer.”

 

“Was, I was a chemical engineer.” Lou sees Debbie briefly glance at a container across the table and hands it to her without ever being asked. Debbie scoops some of the stir fry out of the container onto her plate and Lou automatically picks out the mushrooms off Debbie’s plate, putting them on her own.

 

Tammy slyly picks up on their synchronicity, how they move like a well-oiled machine and tries not let them see her noticing. She didn’t know Lou, but she knew Debbie and that if anyone noticed she was growing close to someone she’d pull away immediately.

 

Lou gets up, walks down the hall to Debbie’s room to get her her meds. She comes back and Debbie’s hand is already open and waiting for them. Tammy meanwhile is observing all of this. Debbie takes her meds and takes a piece of broccoli off Lou’s plate. When she finally looks up and sees Tammy smiling at her she tries to explain, “she doesn’t like broccoli all that much.”

 

“Ok.” Tammy continues eating with a smile and looking between the two.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

After lunch Lou leaves to refill Debbie’s prescriptions so she and Tammy sit in the living room catching up. Tammy is looking at Debbie and simply smiling.

 

“Ok, alright, just come right out and say it.”

 

“You’re in love.” Tammy beams.

 

“What? In love, Tammy?”

 

“Yes, in capital L love.”

 

“I’ll admit to liking her, having some feelings for her, but love? I think that might be a bit of a reach.”

 

“Debbie, this isn’t the time to be stubborn. Soon you won’t need her anymore to care for you. Are you just gonna let her walk out of your life? Have you two even kissed yet?”

 

Debbie’s quiet.

 

“Debbie Ocean, how dare you not tell me this.”

 

“It was last night, we kissed last night.”

 

“How was it?”

 

Debbie let her head fall back onto the couch, “Tammy I like her a lot.”

 

“Wow, that good, huh?”

 

“She has the softest lips and face and everything really. She’s entirely soft.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

 

“I invited her over for the holidays….”

 

“Debbie, really, what are you going to do about it.”

 

Debbie thought for a moment. “I’m not sure.”

 

“Debbie, please don’t make me discipline you.”

 

“It’s not that simple, Tammy.”

 

“Actually, it is, it is very, very simple.” Tammy turns fully towards Debbie. “You sit her down and tell her you like her and then ask her how she feels about you. After she admits to being head over heels for you, you guys can stop pretending to not wanna tear each other’s clothes off.”

 

Debbie looks at Tammy, head still resting on the back of the couch. “Nice, Tammy.”

 

“I’m just calling it like I see it.”

 

Debbie picks her head up and taps her hand lightly on the armrest. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

 

“Are you talking about Lou, the blonde lady that just left? The one who looks at you like you’re her one source of light in this dark cruel world?”

 

Debbie nods.

 

“Debbie, Thanksgiving is coming up. And you, of all people, have a reason to be thankful. So, why don’t you just add one more tall, blonde reason to the list and tell her how you feel sooner rather than later?”

 

“I feel like a teenager.”

 

“You’re acting like one,” Tammy smiles and playfully punches Debbie’s arm.

 

Debbie smiles back and thinks that maybe if she’s going to take relationship advice from anyone, it may as well be from her best friend who’s in a loving and happy marriage. “Ok, I’ll find a way to talk to her.”

 

“And not like you usually do when you have to have a serious talk. You’re not in court presenting your case, there’s no evidence or a judge. You have to tell her how and what you feel. Be real with her, she seems to be able to spot bullshit a mile away.”

 

“I know,” Debbie smiles fondly.


	13. Chapter 13

Over the next several days Debbie spends most of her time quietly reflecting on her last conversation with Tammy. She sits on the couch, legs stretched over Lou’s lap, turning the pages of a book as she looked out the window behind the couch.

 

“That’s a different way of reading.”

 

Debbie looks over at Lou realizing she’s been caught. “There’s no wrong way to read.” She replies playfully as she closes the book and puts it down.

 

Putting her own book down, Lou turns a little toward Debbie, very aware of Debbie’s still fragile legs on her lap. “What are you daydreaming about?”

 

“Just… a trip.” Debbie says unconvincingly.

 

“Bullshit, you’re lying.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Yes you are and don’t lie about lying.”

 

“What makes you so sure I’m lying?”

 

“You have a tell.” Lou states again simply as if it were obvious.

 

“What is it? Are you ever going to tell me?”

 

“Not telling you.”

 

“Fine then I’m not telling you what I’m lying about.”

 

“At least you admitted that you’re lying.”

 

“You are unbelievable, you know that?” Debbie says only the slightest bit annoyed.

 

“I’ve been told, usually under different circumstances, but yeah I’m aware.”

 

“What circumstances?”

 

“Use your imagination, darling.” Lou gives her a wink and picks her book back up.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

As a defense attorney Debbie had made a career out of arguing her point. She could use facts and evidence to win a case like no one else. As long as she had something concrete, she could talk until her voice went hoarse. However expressing herself and her feelings was never something she could do. She’d never really learned how. Feelings weren’t discussed in the Ocean household and so she never needed to think much about them.

 

Which meant this whole situation with Lou was driving her up a wall. She wanted to say something, but at the same time she didn’t want to throw any unnecessary words into this little world she and Lou shared in the confines of her apartment. She wanted to explore whatever it was that was blossoming slowly between them, but her analytical lawyer brain wanted to think about it until it didn’t even make sense anymore.

 

Debbie had been quiet and a bit withdrawn the whole afternoon and Lou noticed. She figured Debbie was mulling over something, but wanted to give her the space she needed. Debbie had worked her poor head into a state of such stress that she gave herself a headache. Lou noticed her massaging her temples.

 

“Why don’t I make you some camomile tea?”

 

“Yes, thank you.” Debbie answered rather absently.

 

When Lou came back with tea Debbie accepted it all too happily and immediately started sipping it. The warmth of the tea was a welcomed sensation.

 

“You look tired. I’ve noticed you haven’t been sleeping well. I heard you tossing and turning from my room for the past few days.”

 

“I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately.”

 

Not long after finishing her tea Debbie began to grow sleepy. She put the book she wasn’t exactly reading down on the coffee table by her legs. She laid her head back and decided she’d rest her eyes for only a few minutes.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie was slowly coming to the surface of the sea of sleep she’d found herself immersed in. She felt the wind in her hair, but it wasn’t the wind exactly. It was something she couldn’t quite place. This heavenly feeling that left her in a complete state of ease and comfort. As Debbie stirred awake Lou continued to run her fingers through Debbie’s hair. Slowly, carefully and ever so gently she threaded her fingers through the dark ocean of hair on her lap lightly massaging Debbie’s scalp with her fingertips. Debbie tried to pull herself out of her slumber but the delightful sensation that started on her scalp and traveled to every nerve ending in her body was threatening to pull her back in. She remained in that state of limbo for a few minutes.

 

Lou was enjoying watching Debbie fight against sleep and if she were to be honest the delightful sighs coming from the head on her lap were like music to her ears. As consciousness fully reached Debbie, she let out a soft and contented sigh that Lou would do just about anything to hear again.

 

Debbie turned her head, still on Lou’s lap, to face her. She smiled the most adorable sleepy smile and Lou felt her chest tighten.

 

“Feel better?”

 

“No more headache…” Debbie confessed trailing off.

 

“Yes, but do you feel better?”

 

Debbie thought about the question for a moment. Thought about how without a word Lou had noticed she wasn’t exactly alright. She shifts her body as best as she can and reaches for Lou’s hand that lightly rests on the couch next to her. She studies Lou’s hand again. Places their hands palm to palm, slowly caressing her hand all over. She finds Lou’s pulse point on her wrist and lays the pad of her thumb over it, enjoying the steady beat and the calm that it brought her.

 

Still looking at Lou’s hand, “what do you do when you have something you want to say, but you can’t?”

 

“What, like a secret?”

 

“No...more like something you need to tell someone only you don’t know how….you can’t find the words.”

 

Lou is quiet for a moment before answering. “Sometimes words aren’t enough.”

 

Debbie stops her exploration for a brief moment and looks up at Lou. After a minute she gets up with only a small amount of difficulty and positions herself right next to Lou so she can look at her.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I just think that sometimes some things are beyond words.” Lou sees the question in Debbie’s eyes. “It’s not always completely possible to put into words something that you feel. Some emotions are too strong, too powerful.”

 

“Words can be powerful too.”

 

“They can, yes, but that doesn’t mean they can convey what we feel. For example, hearing about how someone stubbed their toe  _ sounds _ painful, but actually stubbing your toe is almost inexplicably awful.”

 

Debbie nods in understanding. She picks Lou’s hand up again and laces their fingers, closing her other hand over their hands. She stays like that a moment, quietly breathing and thinking. And in a moment of clarity she lets go of Lou’s hand. She looks Lou right in the eyes and threads her left hand into Lou’s hair.

 

Lou closes her eyes immersing herself in the delightful sensation, letting out the tiniest of sighs.

 

“Keep your eyes closed.”

 

Lou nods in understanding.

 

“I’m only good with words when it comes to my job, where I’m not obligated to get attached. When I-,” Debbie stops and takes a deep breath, “I don’t do attachment. I can’t articulate that side of myself properly.”

 

Debbie can see goosebumps forming on Lou’s neck.

 

“I have a lot of things I want to tell you, share with you, but I just don’t know how.”

 

Lou breathes in deeply her hand slipping from the armrest to look for Debbie’s other hand.

 

“And I want you to….” Debbie was genuinely struggling and Lou could tell. Debbie closed her eyes tightly and counted to ten. When she opened them again Lou was looking right at her.

 

Not knowing how else to express herself Debbie used the hand in Lou’s hair to encourage her head forward toward her. Lou all too willingly obliged and stopped just short of Debbie’s face. They both sat there taking in the moment as it happened. 

 

Debbie touches her lips lightly to Lou’s. “I want this.” She kisses Lou.

 

Lou kisses back, not saying a word, understanding that Debbie needed to do this her way.

 

“I want this, but I don’t know how to go about it.” They kiss again. A slow, exploratory, almost shy kiss.

 

Lou turns towards Debbie, ever mindful of her legs, and places her hands on Debbie’s waist as Debbie deepens the kiss.

 

After a moment they both break apart for air and Lou rests her forehead on Debbie’s. Debbie threads her fingers into Lou’s hair again.

 

“Do you want this?”

 

Lou nods and pecks Debbie’s lips lightly in agreement.

 

“Do you want this in the way that I can do this?”

 

Lou kisses her again.

 

“It might not be want you want or something you like.” Debbie backs away so she can look fully at Lou. “I’m serious. I can’t promise anything. I’m not anyone’s dream woman, I don’t…. I’m a broken person, Lou, in more ways than one.”

 

Debbie closes her eyes not wanting to see what Lou held in hers. She rested her head on Lou’s shoulder for a few minutes and Lou waited patiently as only someone who truly, deeply cares would. After a little while Lou rubs her hand on Debbie’s back and she picks her head up and makes eye contact again.

 

Lou looks at her and speaks quietly, solemnly, “I want this. I want  _ you _ . In whatever way you choose to give yourself. It won’t be easy, but I’ll be here with you…..every step of the way.”

 

Lou wiped away the single tear that rolled down Debbie’s cheek. “You’re not alone anymore, Deb.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter? Who even am I?!  
> You can also find me and my irrelevant yet strong opinions on Tumblr: @neighborhoodspaceman


	14. Chapter 14

Their situation wasn’t a common one. Debbie hadn’t found herself having feelings for anyone since her divorce. Lou never imagined that a job she nearly didn’t take would result in her developing feelings for the person she was caring for. They both found themselves in foreign territory, in a place neither had a map for, so navigating through wouldn’t be an easy task. But Debbie didn’t need to know much, just that Lou was right there with her.

 

They spent the entire afternoon reading on the couch, not saying much and not needing to. Debbie stretched out on the couch, reclining on Lou. She laid her head on Lou’s chest and listened to her read aloud. She closed her eyes, getting lost in the timbre of Lou’s voice. The vibrations she felt in Lou’s chest. The almost imperceptible rise and fall of Lou’s chest as she breathed. Debbie had never felt so… secure in her life. 

 

Lou ran her fingers through Debbie’s dark tresses lightly massaging her scalp as she did. Lou bent one of her legs and Debbie lightly made circles on her knee. She faced away from her, but she heard the smile in Lou’s voice as she continued the circles on her knee. After a few minutes Lou stopped reading and put the book down. She wrapped her arms around Debbie and gave her a kiss on the crown of her head lingering there, breathing in her smell. They were both enjoying this new door they’d opened together. This newfound intimacy between the two. Debbie was finally able to explore and dive head first into what she felt for Lou. Feelings she hadn’t thought she’d ever allow herself to feel for anyone ever again.

 

“This is nice.”

 

“The scalp massage?” Lou says as her fingertips move around Debbie’s head with a light pressure.

 

“That too,” she smiles then it’s quiet for a beat, “I meant this, us. I like this. I haven’t had this for so long.”

 

Lou, now with both hands on Debbie’s scalp, “me neither.”

 

“No?”

 

“I went through a tough breakup awhile back that really did a number on me so...I decided to focus on myself, my life, my happiness. It’s part of the reason why I moved here.”

 

“And did you find everything that you were looking for?”

 

“I did, I found myself, found who I really was.”

 

“To be perfectly honest, I was surprised to find out you were single.” Debbie is now lightly scraping her nails on Lou’s knee in lazy, random patterns.

 

“Why’s that?” Lou says pulling her close once again.

 

Debbie almost snorts, “are you kidding me?”

 

“No, tell me.”

 

“You are very, very attractive.” Debbie says in an almost shy voice.

 

“I knew you had the hots for me since the beginning.” Lou says before nuzzling Debbie’s head.

 

“Aren’t we awfully confident,” she laced her fingers with Lou’s, her palm to the the back of Lou’s hand. She brings Lou’s hand up to her face placing a kiss to her palm.

 

“Mmm you weren’t exactly subtle with your lustful staring when I towel dried my hair after a shower.” Lou said with a hint of a smile in her voice.

 

“You weren’t supposed to notice me doing that.” Debbie smiles.

 

“Oh but I did.” Lou whispers near her ear and squeezes her arms a little tighter around Debbie.

 

Debbie smiles and laughs a little. She can’t recall how long it’s been since she smiled so much because of one person.

 

Lou began to play with Debbie’s hands, “you need to eat something soon, you have to take your meds in about an hour. What do you want?”

 

“I’m not very hungry,” Debbie let Lou massage her fingers individually.

 

“It wasn’t a suggestion, Deb, you need to eat. All you’ve had today was toast and tea. Those things aren’t exactly a proper meal.” She says pressing the pad of her thumb into the base of Debbie’s thumb near her palm with just enough pressure.

 

“Oh, do we still have grapes?”

 

“Mhm”

 

“Let’s have grapes then.”

 

Lou makes her way to the kitchen to get them the grapes while Debbie adjusts herself on the couch. When Lou comes back Debbie’s got her legs propped on the coffee table and a throw pillow on her lap. She extends her hands while opening and closing them a couple of times towards the bowl Lou held. She takes it, placing it carefully on the armrest then pats the pillow and smiles at Lou.

 

“Lie down.”

 

“On your lap? No, that’s insane you’re still healing.”

 

“Come on, it’s just your head, how much could it even weigh?” Debbie says exasperatedly.

 

“Debbie, I don’t know.” Lou is unsure about it.

 

“Please? Just for a little while. I want to comb my fingers through your hair too.” And Debbie gives her this look that Lou knew right then and there that she would always be powerless to. A look that rendered Lou unable to say no to Debbie. A look that Lou knew would soon make her fall hard.

 

“Just for a little while.”

 

Debbie smiles and Lou finally understands what people mean they say a little piece of heaven.

 

She stretches out on the couch, head carefully placed on Debbie’s lap. She looks up as Debbie looks down at her. Debbie moves her bangs out of her eyes and looks deep into them. She lightly brushes her thumb on Lou’s forehead, with her other hand she traced the line just below Lou’s bottom lip, letting out a light hum and making Lou smile.

 

“What are you smiling at, huh?” Debbie asks.

 

“You make these little sounds.”

 

“Little sounds?”

 

“A quiet little hum, sometimes a sigh… I don’t think you even notice when you’re making them.”

 

Debbie smiles widely at Lou. She looks into Lou’s eyes again. “Your eyes are like the sky.” She threads her fingers into Lou’s hair, watching Lou’s eyes flutter shut.

 

“How so?”

 

“Sometimes they’re the brightest shade of blue, like the beach on a summer day. Sometimes they’re more grey and stormy. Sometimes they’re pale blue, like how the sky looks after a sun shower. They’re nice, I like them.”

 

A hint of a smile appeared on Lou’s face and Debbie delicately traced her lips. She ran her thumb along Lou’s bottom lip and Lou kissed her thumb. 

“Debbie Ocean, The Poet.”

 

Debbie chuckles and grabs a grape from the bowl, “open up.”

 

Lou opens her eyes and accepts the grape, “you know these are pretty good, considering the time of year and all.”

 

Debbie nods her head, “one time, Danny and I were driving back from Vermont, we went out there on a work related matter, and on the way back this guy was selling apples on the side of the road. Danny told me to stop and I didn’t want to, but Danny can be very annoying when he wants something and I would’ve done anything to make him shut up.”

 

Lou smiles at the thought of Debbie close to strangling her brother, “how’d you think he got me to take this job?”

 

Debbie pretends to pinch Lou’s side and they both laugh. “Anyway, we stop and he talks to the guy. He was selling apples for dirt cheap so Danny, he likes to think he’s a great negotiator, buys two full baskets. He was intent on buying enough apples to last him and Tess a year. When we arrived at his house and I went to help him with the apples is when I noticed. What Danny had failed to do was check the apples before loading them into the car. There was a burlap sack over the baskets with just a few lying on top. The ones under the burlap were nearly spoiled.”

 

“Are you serious?” Lou laughs a little.

 

“Danny bought about 20lbs of nearly spoiled apples and every time I see an apple I like to remind him of that incident.”

 

“Oh, I bet he loves that.”

 

“It’s a nice way to remind him of his hubris and it makes me laugh remembering the look on his face.”

 

Debbie fed Lou the last grape and they both enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in each other’s company.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

They had made it a habit of enjoying tea before bed together. Usually after they were done, Lou went off to her room and Debbie went to sleep. Tonight however was different. Debbie wanted Lou to sleep in the bed next to her, but was nervous about asking her. She didn’t know why though, it’s not like Lou ever gave her a reason to be nervous around her or for asking her anything at all. Debbie was waiting for the right moment to ask, but out of the courtroom timing was never something she was very good at.

 

“Do you want to sleep with me?”

 

Lou has a mouthful of tea and just looks at Debbie a moment.

 

“I mean actually sleep. Do you want to sleep here in the bed, next to me.”

 

Lou shows no emotion whatsoever on her face.

 

“You don’t have to, it was more of a suggestion. Since we’ve done it before.”

 

Lou looks at her a few seconds before a smile breaks out, “you’re so cute when you’re nervous.”

 

Debbie’s hand lands on Lou’s knee as she playfully pushes, “why do you enjoy making me anxious?”

 

“I just told you, you’re very cute when you’re nervous.”

 

Lou stands to get under the covers with Debbie, both lying face to face.

 

“I like this, lying next to you at night. It makes it easier to sleep, almost as if if you’re here I won’t have any nightmares.”

 

Lou takes both her hands and kisses them, she then slowly moves towards Debbie and gently kisses her. 

 

“Every time you wake up from a nightmare I want you to reach out and feel around the bed. When you find me I want that to serve as a reminder that nightmares aren’t real, but I am. I’m here in the same bed next to you. Your nightmares can’t reach you, but you can always reach for me.”

 

Debbie looked into Lou’s eyes and wondered how one person could transmit so much tranquility into her soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I posting too many updates? I am, aren't I? Should I post once a week? Once every other week? Let me know!


	15. Chapter 15

The next couple of days are spent much the same way, with Debbie and Lou in their own little bubble seemingly suspended in time and space. Neither of them bothering to leave the house or contact the outside world. The only people they wanted to see and talk to was each other. They were on the couch again, each reclining on an armrest. Since they’d gotten together it had become an unspoken agreement that Lou would be spending Christmas with Debbie. And they’d both decided they’d only get each other one gift, something small and meaningful. Each of them on their respective phones looking for something that could be delivered even if it did arrive after the twenty-fifth.

 

Lou put her phone on the coffee table and begins to gently caress Debbie’s legs that were lying in between hers.

 

“You’re done? You’ve already picked yours out?”

 

Lou nods at her as she very carefully traces the scars visible through the braces on Debbie’s legs.

 

“How? I’ve been searching for hours and I still haven’t decided on one yet. I’ve got it narrowed down to five, but you won’t let me.”

 

“We agreed, one small gift.”

 

Debbie tries her damndest not to pout and fails. She goes back to her search and is interrupted by a phone call.

 

“Hey, Tammy.”

 

“Hey, Debbie, how’re you feeling?”

 

“The physical therapist gave me some exercises to do at home between appointments and they’re kicking my ass. Lou’s been helping me. I hate to be the one to say this but I really took my legs for granted.”

 

“When’s your next appointment?”

 

“Next week, she was here yesterday. She was supposed to be here tomorrow but the appointment wasn’t even scheduled, which is weird.”

 

Tammy laughs lightly, “Debbie, it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow.”

 

“Oh, shit already?”

 

“You’re so wrapped in your love bubble you’ve completely ignored your favorite app: the calendar.”

 

Debbie laughs and doesn’t even bother denying it.

 

“I’m heading into the city to pick up a few last minute things and I wanted to stop by to drop off a pie I made you.”

 

“Is it your famous pumpkin pie?”

 

“The one and only.”

 

“Then I’m available at any time for drop off.”

 

Tammy laughs, “so how are you two love birds doing?”

 

Debbie steals a glance at Lou. Tammy can hear the smile in her voice when she answers, “we’re good. We’re trying to find each other Christmas presents. Or, well, I’m trying. She’s already found one.”

 

“Do you need help?”

 

“I’m not allowed any outside help.”

 

Lou looks up briefly at Debbie trying very hard to hold back a smile and lightly massages Debbie’s foot as she looks out the window behind Debbie’s couch. Debbie looks down at Lou’s shirt and suddenly has an idea.

 

“Oh, I’ve just had a very good idea. Do you remember Tom’s friend from college, the producer? Can you text me his number?”

 

“Sure, I’ll send it over now. See you tomorrow, Debbie.”

 

“Bye, Tammy.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Tammy looks at Lou, “you watch her or else she’ll sneak into the kitchen and eat this entire thing all by herself.”

 

“Ok, that was one time and it was only a  _ quarter _ of the pie.”

 

“I’ll be sure not to let her out of my site.” Lou snakes her hand around Debbie’s waist and kisses her on the temple.

 

“You two are too cute together.” Tammy smiles widely. “Ok, I gotta run. Happy Thanksgiving, you two.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Later that night the two sat on the couch with their takeout dishes switching occasionally to try what the other had ordered.

 

“I bet this isn’t what you had in mind for how you’d spend Thanksgiving, is it?”

 

“Honestly, this is one of the better ones.”

 

“That’s sweet of you to say, but no need to try and make me feel better.”

 

“I’m serious, this is the first Thanksgiving where I’m not working or alone.”

 

Debbie rests the takeout container on her lap, “Lou are you serious?”

 

Lou nods, “yeah. I don’t have any family around these parts and people usually pay very well when they ask you to work a holiday so…” She looks down into her container and moves the food around with her fork.

 

Debbie takes her hand and interlocks their fingers. “Thank you for spending it with me this year. I was gonna be alone too since Danny and Tess are away.”

 

“What about Reuben and Rose?”

 

“They’re not much for gathering during the holidays. They always send us gifts, but they travel a lot.”

 

Lou caresses Debbie’s hand with her thumb. “I’m feeling pretty lucky today if I’m to be honest.”

 

“Oh yeah, why’s that?”

 

“It’s my first Thanksgiving not alone and I get to spend it with you.”

 

Debbie smiles and blushes, “how do you that? How do you always know the right thing to say?”

 

“I’m just being sincere.”

 

“I know how to handle truth and bend it, manipulate it, even dress it up to look like something else, but sincerity is not something I’m used to.”

 

Lou looks at her deep in the eyes and kisses her slowly and softly. A chaste kiss, a silent promise that with Debbie she would always be sincere.


	16. Chapter 16

“When can you bring it?”

 

“I’m going into the city the day after tomorrow. Does that work for you?”

 

“Yeah, can you come in the afternoon though? I have physical therapy that day.”

 

“Sure no problem, I’ll be seeing my colorist in the morning so it’ll work perfectly. What is it?”

 

“We promised we wouldn’t tell anyone what we got each other.”

 

“It’s not like I’m gonna tell her, Deb, sheesh.”

 

“A promise is a promise, Tammy.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Do you have any idea what she got you?”

 

“None at all. She’s impossible to read when she needs to be. It’s incredibly annoying.”

 

“Do you want me to try and get it out of her?”

 

“Don’t bother, she’ll know I put you up to it and won’t say a word.”

 

“At least you know she’s good at keeping secrets!” Tammy offered.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie and Lou are sitting in bed, Lou is doing a crossword puzzle and Debbie is making a list.

 

“Do you have any food allergies you haven’t told me about?”

 

“No… why?”

 

“I’m going to order Christmas dinner.”

 

“You don’t have to do that.” Lou pushes her glasses onto her head and looks over at Debbie.

 

Debbie smiles as she usually does whenever she sees Lou wearing her glasses, “I know but I want this to be special.”

 

“Deb, it will be. It’ll be just us two and a lot of wine now that you’re not taking meds anymore.” Lou leans over and smiles into the kiss.

 

Debbie puts her pen and legal pad down wrapping her arms around Lou’s neck. She deepens the kiss and Lou all but tosses her crossword and pen aside. She threads her fingers into Debbie’s hair and lightly grazes her nails on Debbie’s scalp earning herself the most delicious moan.

 

“I know it’ll be special because it’ll be just us, but I want to do something nice. For you. You’re always doing such nice and thoughtful things for me and now finally I’m in a position to do something back.”

 

Lou smiles at Debbie, the corners of her eyes wrinkling, something Debbie had grown so very fond of. She holds Debbie’s chin and gives her a slow kiss, “you’re too cute for your own good.”

 

“Now that I know that, I’ll use that to get stuff from you.”

 

Lou looks half amused, “what kind of stuff?”

 

“Oh, just things I want from you, things I want you to do for me…  _ to _ me…”

 

Lou’s eyes are as bright as Debbie has ever seen them. “Can I get an example?” She plays with a strand of Debbie’s hair.

 

“You’re not usually so curious, wonder what’s got your interested piqued.”

 

Lou moves Debbie’s hair aside and kisses her on her neck, just below her ear. She hears Debbie’s sharp intake of breath and says nothing. She picks up her puzzle book and pen and continues with what she was doing before.

 

“That was not fair.” Debbie finally says after she regained her composure with a lingering smile.

 

Lou just smiles without ever looking away from her puzzle.

 

\----------//////////----------

  
  


Lou walks into the apartment and tosses the mail on the dining room table.

 

“Lou, we’re in here!”

 

Lou makes her way down the hall with a magazine in hand while taking off her scarf and coat. “Hey, Amita, how’s it going?”

 

“Hey, Lou. I’m good thanks. I was just telling Debbie how much she’s improving. She told me you have her doing the exercises regularly.”

 

“Yeah, she complains the whole time, but I’m used to it.” She tosses the magazine on the bed next to Debbie. 

 

She picks it up and reads the title. She looks at Lou briefly trying to suppress a smile. She flips through a couple pages and mouths ‘thank you’ at Lou. Lou simply nods.

 

Lou had been encouraging Debbie to make more concrete travel plans. Look at her top destinations, make a travel plan, look at tickets, hotels, all the details.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

It was later in the evening and they both sat in bed. Tammy had already dropped off the present Debbie had gotten Lou. Amita had left hours earlier. Now the two sat in bed as had become their routine.

 

Debbie was carefully looking through the magazine Lou had gotten her earlier. She’d just finished an article and she doesn’t know what exactly did it, but a bunch of pieces fell into place suddenly.

 

“Come with me.”

 

“Go where? Are you even allowed to be leaving the house yet? Didn’t Reuben say to avoid car travel?”

 

“No, not that,” she puts her hand on Lou’s forearm, “come with me on my trip.”

 

Lou looks at her, eyes wide. “Deb, this is your trip. You’ve been waiting for this basically all your life.”

 

“Yes, and I don’t think I’d ever have gotten this far into the planning process if it weren’t for you.”

 

Lou looks at her a minute longer.

 

Debbie takes her hand and grips it firmly, “you told me that sometimes all someone has to do is ask, so, this is me asking. Come with me, Lou.”

 

Lou smiles at Debbie. She’s helpless when Debbie looks at her with those big brown eyes. “Ok, I’ll go.”

 

Debbie pulls Lou closer causing her to fall nearly on top of her. “Deb! I almost fell on you. What if I’d fallen on your legs?” Genuine concern in Lou’s voice.

 

Debbie doesn’t say anything. She kisses Lou slowly and full of intention.

 

“Deb, what’re you doing?”

 

Debbie goes in for another kiss. She moves Lou’s shirt aside and places a slow and wet kiss on her collarbone.

 

“Debbie, this won’t lead anywhere good.”

 

“I’m sure it’ll lead to a very good place.” She whispers to Lou.

 

“It’s not safe, not with your condition.”

 

“Lou, my bones are healing well, you heard Amita.”

 

“Then ask her if you’re cleared for strenuous activity. If she says yes, we’ll do it.”

 

Debbie pulls away and looks at Lou for a few seconds before laughing. “You want me to get a permission slip for sex?”

 

Lou laughs along with her. “Not an actual signed piece of paper or anything…. Just clear it with her first. I’d hate to be the reason your recovery is slowed down.”

 

Debbie groans and rolls her eyes, “fine, fine, I’ll check with her.” She pulls Lou back in for another sinfully delicious, bordering on inappropriate kiss that they each felt intensely.

 

“Mm and until then no more of these kinds of kisses.” Lou goes back in for another kiss.

 

“Why not?” Debbie says as Lou nibbles her earlobe.

 

“Because of what they lead to and right now I’m more worried about your recovery than anything else.”

 

Debbie looks up at Lou and swipes her bangs from her eyes, “you have an iron will.”

 

“Believe me, I don’t think I’ve ever felt physical pain in saying no before.” 

 

They both settle down for the night and promise to behave themselves. Lying face to face they talk until in an uncharacteristic move Lou falls asleep first. Debbie, with her light still on, takes a moment to look at Lou while she slept. She still remembers the first time Lou fell asleep in bed next to her. She remembers their first kiss in that very bed. And now she can add one more memory: the moment she realized she was falling hard and fast for Lou Miller.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHRISTMAS CHAPTER! OH YEAH!

It was late morning on Christmas day. Debbie woke up first with a ping from her phone. It was a text from Danny, a picture of him and Tess under the mistletoe giving each other a kiss. It was such a sweet picture and Debbie immediately knew it was Tess’s idea because Danny was as romantic as watching your tires get rotated at an auto shop.

 

Debbie hadn’t noticed Lou wake up next to her, “is that Danny?”

 

Debbie rolls over to face Lou smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, “Merry Christmas.” She kisses Lou and marvels in the warmth that spreads throughout her body every time she does.

 

Lou brings her hand up to Debbie’s waist, around her back and hooks it over her shoulder, “mm Happy Christmas.”

 

Debbie picks up her phone and shows Lou, “that’s Danny and Tess, his wife.”

 

Lou looks at the picture for a few moments, “they look really happy together.”

 

“They are, they’re great together.”

 

Lou’s quiet a moment as she looks at the picture again. She looks over at Debbie and tucks some hair behind her ear. She takes a long look at Debbie’s face. The way her eyebrows arch, the depth of her dark brown eyes, how she always had the beginning of a mischievous smile on her lips. “Do you think we’ll ever get there?” She asks referring to the happiness shown in the photo.

 

Debbie brings her in closer for a kiss. A slow and lazy kiss that was fitting for a cold Christmas morning. “I think we will.”

 

The two get up and make their way out to the living room. After coffee and tea was made they sat on the couch enjoying the stillness of the morning. Debbie glances out through the partially open blinds, “it’s snowing.”

 

Lou hooks her finger and opens the blinds, “so it is. Like a fucking movie.” As Lou turns back around she catches Debbie staring at her.

 

“Do you wanna do it now or later?”

 

“I’m fine with waiting until later.”

 

“Yeah, ok, sure we can do it after dinner.” Debbie almost sounds disappointed.

 

Lou smiles amused at Debbie’s attempt at being casual. “Or we could do it now.”

 

“Yes, now is definitely better.” Debbie smiles widely.

 

Lou grabs the two smalls boxes that were by the DVD player. She hands Debbie her box.

 

“I wanna go first.” Debbie holds the box with both hands and extends it to Lou. “Merry Christmas, Lou. I hope you like it.”

 

Lou takes the box, pulling Debbie in for a quick kiss. She tears open the wrapping paper and opens the lid. She pulls out what looks to be a necklace.

 

“Look at the pendant.”

 

Debbie opens the blinds a little more to let more light in. Lou brings the pendant up closer to her eyes. She flips it over and reads the inscription. Lou’s head shoots up and looks at Debbie.

 

“Debbie, is this-”

 

“It’s real.”

 

“How did you…”

 

“I know a guy.”

 

Debbie had gotten in touch with a few people who helped pull some strings for her so that she could get Lou the perfect present. Hanging from the necklace was a solid gold moulded replica of a guitar pick from the very tour that Lou had shown Debbie the picture of. 

 

Lou looked deep into Debbie’s eyes and pulled her in for a tight hug. She held on for a good few minutes and just before she let go she softly spoke into Debbie’s ear, “thank you, Debbie, so much.”

 

“Come here, let me put it on you.”

 

Debbie takes the necklace from the box and opens the clasp. She wraps it around Lou’s neck and does the clasp. She gives Lou a kiss on her cheek and backs away to see how it looks on her. She lightly brushes her fingertips on it, “it looks great on you.”

 

She looks up to see Lou is looking intensely into her eyes. So intensely it makes Debbie blush.

 

“Ok, now it’s my turn. I wanna see my present.” Debbie says to distract from the intensity of Lou’s gaze. She feared that if she held eye contact with Lou for much longer things would go a little farther than they intended.

 

Lou picks up the small box and places it carefully in Debbie’s open hands. Debbie takes a second to examine the wrapping paper. She finds the taped parts and picks at them, successfully removing the wrapping paper without tearing it. She removes the lid from the box and places it on the couch. She then peels back the tissue paper to reveal what’s in the box.

 

From Debbie’s sharp intake of breath Lou can tell that she’s genuinely surprised. Debbie removes it from the box and looks at it closely. She turns it over in her hand almost a dozen times as she continues looking. Debbie is silent for almost fifteen minutes. By the time she looks up she’s crying, silent tears streaming down her face.

 

“Lou…” She pulls Lou to her and hugs her tighter than she’s ever hugged anyone before. In her hand that was shut tightly as she hugged Lou she held a mezuzah  _ just like _ the one her mother had placed on their doorway before Debbie was born. An identical mezuzah that Debbie grew up looking at every day whenever she left the house or came home. Debbie’s tears flowed freely. She pulled back slightly and kissed Lou so suddenly she fell back against the armrest. Lou held onto her tightly knowing that’s what Debbie needed at that moment. After a few minutes they both sit up, Debbie wiping her tears and smiling.

 

“Lou… thank you so much. There’s no way I could ever…” Debbie starts tearing up again.

 

Lou encourages her to lean on her as she holds Debbie. “You’re welcome.” She gives Debbie a kiss on her temple and continues holding her and caressing her arm.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie stepped away into her room to call Danny and Tess to catch up. They exchanged stories, Danny about life in California, Debbie mentioning she finally started planning her trip. It was nice, she thought, talking to them. When she hangs up she’s surprised to see she’s spent almost an hour on the phone. She makes her way down the hall into the living room. She doesn’t see Lou in the living room so she looks in the kitchen. She’s not there. She checks the bathroom and still doesn’t find her. Lou had already moved all her stuff into Debbie’s room so checking the guest room was pointless, but she checked it anyway. Not there.

 

The doorbell rang and Debbie genuinely wondered who could possibly be at her door on Christmas day. It rang again and Debbie hobbled down the hall with her crutches as she called out, “I’m coming, just a minute.”

 

When she arrived and opened the door she was a little confused to see Lou on the other side. 

 

“Lou, what are you doing?”

 

Lou points to the side of the doorway and Debbie’s gaze follows. While she was on the phone with Danny and Tess, Lou had put up the mezuzah. Debbie smiled widely and pulled Lou to her by her shirt.

 

“Come here, you.”

 

Lou steadies the crutch that almost fell when Debbie grabbed onto her shirt.

 

“Careful now, we don’t want any accidents.”

 

“I’ll be extra careful. I need to get all nice and healed so I can participate in  _ strenuous activity _ .”

 

Lou kisses Debbie, one hand on Debbie’s waist to help with her balance. “How long did she say?”

 

“About a month, a couple weeks after New Year’s.”

 

Lou groaned in frustration. “This is going to be a very long month.”

 

Debbie places and open mouthed kiss to Lou’s collarbone, “the longest month in recorded history.”

 

“I think,” Lou says as Debbie continues her sinful teasing, “that-- oh, fuck --ok, we have to stop.”

 

Debbie smiles at Lou’s flushed cheeks and dilated pupils, “why?”

 

Lou knows Debbie is up to no good. She slips her hand under her shirt and lightly grazes her fingertips on the small of Debbie’s back. Lou swears she can hear Debbie actually purr. She kisses her properly, one hand still on her waist.

 

“One month.” Lou kisses her softly on the lips.

 

“One whole entire month.” Debbie lays her head on Lou’s shoulder and kisses her neck.


	18. Chapter 18

It’s a few days later, during that almost surreal period between Christmas and New Year where time doesn’t feel real. Debbie and Lou are happily living in their own little world, completely forgetting there are any other people in the city. Ever since Christmas when they exchanged their gifts, they seem to be on a whole new level in their relationship. Their gifts having shown that they not only have gotten to know each other, but care enough to really search for something that would strike a chord with the other.

 

Normally this would be the phase in the relationship, for most couples, where they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, but the circumstances were different for them. Debbie was still in the final lap of her healing process meaning her and Lou couldn’t let things get hot and heavy anytime too soon.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

On her last physical therapy appointment Debbie was cleared from having to wear her leg braces after Christmas and was feeling very happy about it. She had spent the last couple of months with her legs trapped as she liked to say. The day after Christmas Lou had made them breakfast and was sitting at the dining room table as she waited for Debbie so they could eat.

 

“Deeeb, you ok in there?”

 

“Yeah, just changing out of my sleep clothes.”

 

“D’you need any help?” Lou hears the familiar sound of Debbie’s crutches coming down the hallway. She’s pouring herself some coffee as Debbie makes her way into the kitchen. She hears a pill bottle rattling.

 

“I thought you stopped taking meds?”

 

Debbie comes out of the kitchen, “multi vitamin. We need all the extra vitamin C we can get. Neither of us are getting sick.” Debbie places a vitamin by Lou’s placemat. “I hate being sick. And if-” Debbie looks up and sees Lou’s gaze fixed on her crutches. “Are they coming loose?” Debbie begins to worry and looks at the screw on the side when she realizes it’s on there very tight. Then it hits her, Lou isn’t staring at her crutches, she’s staring at Debbie’s legs.

 

Debbie’s legs were free from the plaster and the velcro prison for the first time in months and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to let them breathe even if it meant wearing short shorts in the dead of winter in her apartment.

 

Debbie smiles at Lou’s reaction. “See something you like?” She asks playfully. 

 

Lou finally looks up, “cute shorts.” 

 

Debbie, feeling very proud at her unintentional accomplishment sits at the table and begins preparing her tea. “Lou can you pass me a pouch of the Earl Grey please?”

 

Lou grabs a pouch from the box and extends her hand over to Debbie while sipping her coffee. As she did her loosely tied robe, that she’d put on after her shower, slips down her shoulder giving her an accidental expansive cleavage. Debbie reaches for the pouch without looking away from the all too enticing view and Lou doesn’t notice for a minute. She smiles and dangles the pouch in front of Debbie’s eyes.

 

Debbie is quickly pulled back to the surface and looks at Lou in time to see her smiling.

 

Debbie unwraps the pouch and dunks it in the hot water in her mug. “Cute freckles.”

 

They both stare at each other over their mugs and think about what was sure to be the longest month in recorded history.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

A couple days later and Lou’s sitting on the couch reading as the sound of crutches announce Debbie’s arrival. Debbie sits down on the couch next to Lou and places her crutches to the side. She then rubs both her shoulders.

 

“What wrong?” Lou asks.

 

“These crutches are killing me, I’m straining my shoulders too much.” She rubs her shoulder a bit. 

 

Lou gets up and disappears down the hall, quickly coming back with a muscle cream. She sits on the armrest and motions for Debbie to sit on the couch, legs stretched out in front of her. Debbie scooches back as Lou instructed.

 

“Take off your shirt.”

 

Debbie turns her head some, but doesn’t protest.

 

“Where does it hurt most?”

 

Debbie points to the top of her shoulder muscles closest to her neck.

 

Lou squirts some of the muscle cream into her hand and rubs her hands together quickly to warm it up. She finally places her hands on Debbie’s shoulder, a little firmer than Debbie anticipated and she hisses.

 

“Sorry, but to work the knots out, I can’t be too gentle at first.”

 

After a few minutes Debbie starts to feel the pain melt away. “You’re really good at this.”

 

Lou smiles but doesn’t say anything. She uses her thumb to really work the hard spot she felt in Debbie’s neck. Debbie cocks her head to the side and lets out an involuntary moan that makes Lou immediately stop her ministrations.

 

“Why’d you stop?” Without a word Lou starts again suddenly very aware of the entire situation.

 

She squirts more of the muscle cream onto her hands getting ready for the other shoulder.  After a few minutes and not one but two involuntary moans from Debbie, Lou stopped.

 

“Feel better now?”

 

“Much. I wasn’t kidding earlier, you’re really good at that.”

 

Lou laughs lightly and makes her way off to the kitchen to wash her hands. As she walks away she calls out to Debbie, “ _ please  _ put your shirt back on for fucks sake.”

 

Debbie suddenly noticed she wasn’t wearing one and quickly grabbed it and put it back on.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

A couple days after New Years and they’re both standing in the kitchen pulling random items out of the fridge for lunch. Debbie is standing near the counter and Lou has her head in the refrigerator. 

 

“What about leftover Thai?”

 

“Yes, we want that.” Debbie said with seriousness.

 

Lou smiled as she handed over the container, “Oh, fancy olives, definitely having those.” Lou hands over another container.

 

“Do we still have those dumplings from that Chinese place a few blocks over?”

 

“Yes we do and some egg rolls too.” Debbie places that last container she was handed on the tray and begins to pick it up.

 

“Why don’t you let me carry the tray and you just hobble on out to the living room?” Lou says as she smoothly removes it from Debbie’s grip.

 

“Ugh, fine.” Debbie picks up a plastic cup and pours water into it from the bottle on the counter. She’s about to take a sip when a lock of hair falls from her messy bun and lightly grazes her neck. Debbie yelps and tosses the cup in the air quickly grabbing her crutches for balance.

 

“LOU IT’S A SPIDER. GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME!”

 

Lou grabs hold of Debbie’s shoulders and steadies her before she slips on the spilled water.

 

“Deb, calm down, there’s no spider. You hair must’ve tickled your neck or something.”

 

As Debbie’s breathing returns to normal she opens her eyes and looks at the floor. She was a bit surprised that there wasn’t much water on the floor. Her eyes traveled upwards and began to see why there was hardly any water on the floor, it had all practically landed on Lou and her white t-shirt.

 

Lou was still holding onto Debbie’s shoulders worried she was in shock. 

 

“Deb, are you ok?”

 

Debbie was ok. She was more than ok. She was mesmerized by the site before her. She had accidentally made Lou a contestant in an impromptu wet t-shirt contest.

 

“Fine, very fine,” it took all of her strength to alert Lou to the fact that Debbie could see  _ everything _ , “you might wanna change your shirt. I can see you’re… you’re not wearing a bra.” 

 

“What?” Lou looked down and realized what she meant and laughed. “I suppose now you’ve finally gotten me back from the tub incident, huh?” She walks around Debbie backwards, teasing Debbie with the view, so Debbie stares as she walks away.

 

Debbie lets out a very deep sigh, “three more weeks.”


	19. Chapter 19

They were two weeks into January it had been lightly snowing on and off for the past couple of weeks. The two were snuggled up on the couch looking through some travel blogs together. Debbie had asked Lou for any and all advice on traveling, since she was the more experienced of the two, and had added it to her notes. They were each looking up activities to do, each was assigned a country for the afternoon, when Lou spoke up with the quietest voice.

 

“I didn’t have a reason to stay.”

 

Debbie looks up from her magazine, not understanding what prompted this confession.

 

“You asked me a while back why I left Australia. I left all those years ago because I didn’t have a reason to stay anymore.”

 

Debbie puts a sticky not on the page where she left off and closes the magazine. She tosses it aside and takes Lou’s hand with both of hers and kisses the back of her thumb. Lou sighs tiredly and continues, knowing that it was only fair she share this with Debbie.

 

“My father was never around, I’ve met him, but I wished I hadn’t sometimes.” Lou looks off into an unspecified place. She’s quiet a moment before speaking up again, “he came round a few times when I was really little but after I turned seven he just stopped showing up. Not even on my birthday. My mum eventually told me, when I got older, that he went to prison.”

 

By this point Lou was reclined sideways on Debbie. Debbie’s hand coursing through her hair, her other hand Lou played with as a distraction of sorts from the emotional intensity of the conversation.

 

“It was better that way, him not showing up anymore. He always ruined whatever moment when he dropped by unannounced usually to ask for money.”

 

“What about your mom?”

 

Lou was quiet again. Play-pinching the skin on Debbie’s knuckles one by one. 

 

“She passed and I left. A couple months after and I was gone. I had no reason to stay.” Lou rested her head on Debbie’s shoulder. “My mum got sick and it was like she stayed sick no matter how much treatment she received. We found out it was degenerative and she was adamant about not wanting to ‘waste away’ in a hospital bed. Her words not mine.”

 

Debbie encourages Lou to lie her head on the pillow in Debbie’s lap.

 

“She seems like she was an opinionated woman.”

 

Lou smiles wistfully, “she was… she would’ve liked you.”

 

Debbie smiles and her eyes well up with tears, “I feel proud to know that.” Debbie is now caressing Lou’s face. Both of them quiet as they process the information. “Thank you.”

 

Lou looks at her and she looks back into Lou’s now pale blue eyes.

 

“Thank you for sharing that with me. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to dredge up that part of your life, so…. Thank you.”

 

They stay like that for awhile just enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Later in the day Debbie hands Lou an envelope.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Open it.”

 

“There’s a hundred dollar bill in here…”

 

“It’s for the sketch you made of me.”

 

“Debbie, you know I-”

 

“Lou, it’s only fair. I required you do the sketch in the first place so… consider it a commission.”

 

Lou looks at Debbie a moment, “you won’t drop this unless I accept this, will you?”

 

“Not a chance.”

 

With a sigh Lou pockets the money as Debbie smiles, “fine, ok, you win.”

 

“Oh and I showed Tammy your work and she wants to talk to you about a few sketches she wants to commission. Mostly of her kids, I think.”

 

Lou looks at Debbie with a fond and proud smile, “you should be my manager.”

 

Debbie turns her head and playfully responds, “sorry, I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

 

Lou lightly pulls her arms and helps Debbie sit on her lap. “Which one of those two categories do I fall under?”

 

Debbie gets really close to Lou’s face, their noses and lips occasionally touching, “for now, business, but soon pleasure.”

 

And with a playful pinch to Debbie’s side and a nibble on her neck Debbie dissolves into laughter in Lou’s arms.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Two days later Amita shows up for another physical therapy appointment. She walks in with her usual gear and something else. She had a new pair of crutches with a red bow on them.

 

“With these you won’t strain your shoulders as much. You’ll have to slowly start relying on your legs again and these will help with the transition.” Amita hands them over.

 

“Thank you, but how did you know that-”

 

“Lou called and told me that your current pair was causing you pain. I took a look at your charts and your last x-ray and figured it was about time to make the switch.”

 

Debbie looked at Lou as if she had a golden aura and smiled.

 

After one of the easiest sessions she’s had yet with Amita Debbie feels excited.

 

“I hardly felt any pain this time, does that mean I’m almost done?”

 

“It does! I’m always happy to know a patient has improved so much because that means they’ve made a full recovery, but I have to admit I sure am going to miss visiting you guys. You two were one of the nicest couples. I’ve met the strangest people in this line of work.”

 

“We’ll have you over for dinner sometime when I’m back to normal.”

 

Amita smiles, genuinely happy for her new friends. “Oh, don’t forget to call the clinic after you’ve gotten your next x-rays done so we can determine how much longer you’ll be needing physical therapy.”

 

“Yes, of course.” Debbie says as Lou adjusted the new crutches to her new height.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Almost one month into the New Year and Debbie Ocean is finally healed. Her bones are healthy and in tip top condition. She no longer has to rely on crutches and she can finally walk on her own again. No more assistance needed when sitting down or getting up, no more assistance needed when getting into or out of bed. Debbie was back to her old self and she felt great.

 

She and Lou walked into the apartment and Debbie felt as light as a cloud.

 

“Let’s go out tonight, to celebrate. Nothing over the top, just dinner and drinks, how does that sound?”

 

Lou, with a smile starting to spread across her face, sidles up to Debbie and snakes her arms around Debbie’s waist. “That sounds good.” She whispers into Debbie’s ear and kisses her temple.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Later that night Lou was ready first and waited patiently for Debbie in the living room as she flipped through a magazine and read an article about traveling to Buenos Aires.

 

She was so caught up in the article she didn’t see Debbie approach so she cleared her throat to get Lou’s attention.

 

Lou had only ever seen Debbie in a hospital gown, her pyjamas or sweats. She had never seen Debbie all dolled up and dressed to the nines. So when Debbie stood in the living room looking at her with sparkling eyes Lou had to remind herself to breathe.

 

Lou gets up without a word and makes her way over to Debbie. She rakes her eyes up and down Debbie’s body making her smile even wider.

 

“What do you think? Do I clean up ok?”

 

“I think… that I want to skip dinner.”

 

Debbie laughs and playfully swats Lou’s arm, “behave yourself. We’re having a nice evening out. It’s technically our first date.”

 

“Ok, then after we eat, we can come back here for dessert then.” Lou whispered into Debbie’s ear as she helped her get her coat on.

 

Debbie turns around to face Lou and sees she’s wearing the necklace she got Lou for Christmas. She toys with it a bit and unashamedly takes a quick peek down Lou’s cleavage, “you look really, really hot.”

 

Lou smiles and rubs her hands on Debbie’s arms, “we’ve made it this far so I’m sure we can make it another couple hours. Come on, darling, let’s go.”

 

And with that the two were off to their very first date.


	20. Chapter 20

They arrive at the restaurant and immediately are given a warm welcome by the maître d’. Him and Debbie exchange pleasantries and almost immediately a table is ready for her and Lou. They’re escorted to a table in a rather private area of the restaurant. No other tables close by and screens were put up in a way that made the ambience far more intimate. Soon after they were seated a man in a suit approached the table with his arms open as if already anticipating a hug. Debbie stood and greeted him with familiarity and fondness. 

 

“It is so good to see you! I heard you were in a car accident?”

 

“Yes, I was, it was months ago though.”

 

“Was it serious?”

 

“Yes, I was bedridden for months, only just got rid of my crutches.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m very happy you’re all better now.” He glances over to Lou and then back at Debbie with a smile. “I see you are not alone tonight.” He extends his hand to Lou for a greeting and a handshake. Lou stands and greets this smiling man with sparkling eyes.

 

Debbie introduces the two, “Lou, this is Carlos, he owns this fine establishment and a few others across the city. Carlos this is Lou, she’s my…” Debbie glances at Lou and they both smile, “she’s my girlfriend.”

 

Carlos smiles widely and it’s almost hidden by his mustache. “It is a pleasure to meet you Lou. Anyone that is a friend of Debbie’s is welcomed here. Please, have a seat, tonight you both are special guests here. Consider it all a gift from me to you.” He says to Debbie.

 

Debbie smiles at Carlos and gives his hand a squeeze, “thank you, Carlos.”

 

Not long after Carlos went away a bottle of champagne was brought to their table in a shiny silver bucket filled with ice.

 

“You’re certainly popular around here,” Lou says right before taking a sip of the champagne.

 

“Carlos is a client from a long time ago. We got him out of  _ a lot _ of trouble and years later he’s still very thankful.”

 

Lou’s smile reaches her eyes, “maybe later I can show you a little gratitude too.”

 

Debbie smiles shyly and glances down into her drink, “behave yourself, Miller.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

The two are well into their meals when Debbie poses a question to Lou, “I was thinking maybe we could leave for the trip in late April, early May?”

 

“Before or after your birthday?”

 

“After. Danny and Tess are supposed to be back by then and I know they’re gonna wanna go out to dinner for that. Plus they’ll get to meet you.”

 

Lou smiled and looked at Debbie a bit, “you sure you want them to meet me?”

 

“Yes, I’m sure. And besides, I need someone else in my corner for when Danny and Tess gang up on me.”

 

Lou laughs a moment, “don’t worry,” she holds eye contact with Debbie, “I’ve got you.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

As the two share what was a very fancy and intricately built dessert Debbie is caught staring at Lou’s necklace and envied the spot in where it laid.

 

“You’ve got to work on being a touch more subtle, darling.” Lou says with a hint of a smile on her face.

 

Debbie looks down at the dessert as she scoops some more onto her spoon, “I just want to make my intentions very clear.” She looks up at Lou as she licks her spoon.

 

“You’re playing a very dangerous game.” Lou says as she draws invisible lines back and forth on the inside of Debbie’s forearm.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

As soon as the elevator door shuts Lou walks up to Debbie and whispers in her ear, “I can’t wait to get you out of that dress.” She then kisses Debbie slowly and purposefully on her neck below her ear and on her pulse point.

 

Debbie’s breathing picks up. She looks deeply into Lou’s eyes and sees the challenge in them. She’s daring Debbie to do something back.

 

Debbie, never one to back down from a challenge, sidles up to Lou and grabs her by the lapels of her coat. She pulls Lou over and kisses her good and proper while slipping her hand in her coat and blazer and just under her vest. She gently swipes her fingertips just above Lou’s hip on her side earning herself something between a moan and a hiss from Lou.

 

Debbie steps back over to the opposite side of the elevator feeling proud at pulling that reaction from Lou. The tension in the elevator is thick and it’s all they can do to keep from tearing each other’s clothes off right there and then. 

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Lou stood next to the dresser in Debbie’s room taking off all her rings. Debbie comes up behind her bringing her lips an inch from Lou’s ear, “need help with these?” she says as she begins to undo the clasps of Lou’s many necklaces. Lou stares at her through the mirror, Debbie glances up every few seconds as she removes each necklace. Lou turns to face Debbie who is still wearing her dress.

 

“Turn around,” Lou says in a low and firm voice. Debbie turns without a word, trying her best to maintain her composure. Lou helps her remove her necklace and brings her face into the crook of Debbie’s neck.

 

“Your perfume is so… enticing.” She whispers just behind Debbie’s ear.

 

Debbie turns her head, but doesn’t turn around completely. She smiles but Lou can only see half of it and somehow that turns her on more. She places her hands on Debbie’s waist and steps in closer to her. She moves her face to the other side of Debbie’s neck and breathes in her fragrance. She places a slow and deliberate kiss on Debbie’s neck. Not wanting to lose face Debbie turns her head towards Lou’s, “so enticing you just can’t help yourself, huh?”

 

Debbie feels Lou’s arms wrap around her waist, she feels Lou up against her back and the vibrations of Lou’s laugh, “I’m trying to pace myself, but with you it’s not so easy.” Lou places a kiss on the very back of Debbie’s neck and she can feel it all over. Every nerve ending in her body is awake. She’s never been more aware of someone’s proximity to her body than she was right now. 

 

Debbie hears the sound of shuffling fabric and then shortly after sees Lou toss her blazer onto the chair near the door. The same chair that a few months ago was Lou’s chair. Debbie then feels Lou’s hands at the zipper of her dress.

 

“May I?”

 

“You sure you want to do that?”

 

“You sure you want me not to?”

 

“Go on…”

 

Debbie feels her dress being slowly unzipped. She feels Lou’s finger trace an invisible path that the zipper made just moments ago. She felt Lou’s hands slip under the thin straps at her shoulder to encourage the dress to come off. Once it did fall off she felt the feather light touch of Lou’s fingertips at her back. She felt Lou place a kiss on the back of her shoulder. She felt another at base of her neck where her spine started. She let out a very satisfied moan as she felt Lou’s tongue ghost along the column of her neck.

 

“Are you trying to seduce me, Lou Miller?”

 

“Is it working?”

 

“Mmmmm,” was all Debbie could manage.

 

“Then yes,” Lou said as she traced her finger down the length of Debbie’s back. She gripped Debbie’s hips and signalled for her to turn around. Debbie turned around and was instantly met with Lou’s piercing gaze. She wrapped her arms around Lou’s neck and went in for a kiss. Slow and sensual unlike their previous kisses for this one held a promise of what was to come. She continues to kiss Lou as her hands make their way down to the buttons on Lou’s vest. She undoes them one by one, painfully and purposely slow. Her movements designed to leave Lou in a frenzy. Once the final button is undone she slips it off of Lou’s shoulders. She lightly touches Lou’s shoulders, one with each hand. She traces over Lou’s collarbone and up her neck on both sides. Lou doesn’t make a noise, but Debbie can hear her breathing pick up.

 

She smiles as she looks into Lou’s eyes, “want me to stop?”

 

Lou answers by pulling Debbie into her by the waist. Both gasp at the sensation of feeling each others bare breasts on themselves. Debbie’s hand immediately finding their place around Lou’s neck attempting to pull her closer if at all possible. Lou goes from her lips, to her shoulder, to her pulse point. Debbie’s hands go from her hair, to her back to the button on her pants. Both trying their hardest to keep a steady pace, neither wanting to rush this much anticipated moment. 

 

Debbie undoes the button and zipper to Lou’s pants. She slips her hands in the back and firmly grabs Lou’s ass. Lou smiles into the kiss she’s placing on Debbie’s neck. She brings her head back up so they’re face to face.

 

“Need any help getting those off?”

 

Debbie nods, “I’ve got my hands full.” They both laugh as Lou slips her pants off.


	21. Chapter 21

They’re lying in bed, face to face, legs tangled. Lou is tracing the curve of Debbie’s waist and hip as she looks at Debbie. Debbie is tracing the curve of Lou’s breast as she stares at them. Both wanting to explore each other’s bodies, neither wanting to give in first. Without breaking contact Lou brings her hand all the way to Debbie’s neck, gently wrapping her fingers around Debbie’s neck almost possessively. Debbie goes in for a kiss as Lou brings her hand down the front of Debbie’s body stopping at the spot between Debbie’s breasts. After a few moments Debbie breathlessly breaks the kiss, “touch me.”

 

Lou looks deep into her eyes as her hands meet Debbie’s breasts. Debbie closes her eyes at the sensation of Lou touching her so intimately. Something she had been waiting so long for, but didn’t realize until just now. She threads her fingers into Lou’s hair, wanting to pull her as close as she could. She feels Lou’s hand traveling lower past her breasts, onto her abdomen, past her navel and now below it, she feels Lou’s hand pause. Lou goes in for a kiss and then looks into her eyes for a moment, “you’re so incredibly sexy, you know that?”

 

Debbie smiles, “quit stalling.” Lou returns the smile and lets her hand travel lower, right where Debbie wants her.

 

Both let out a cry of satisfaction once she feels just how wet Debbie is. “Jesus, Deb.”

 

“Fuck, Lou.”

 

“Lie on your back.”

 

Debbie doesn’t think twice before doing as she was told. She pulls Lou half over her, she needs Lou as close to her as possible. Her hands are in Lou’s hair, around her neck, gripping her shoulders and soon her face is next to Lou’s, Debbie’s lips at her ear.

 

“I’m so close.” She whispers into Lou’s ear. Hearing that gave Lou all the encouragement she needed to continue until Debbie fell over the edge. Lou kept going and soon she could hear Debbie’s breathing getting more and more shallow, her moans getting progressively louder. With one last pump of her fingers Lou felt and heard Debbie climax, something she’s been waiting so long for, but didn’t realize until just now. Lou brings her back down slowly as she kisses her, Debbie’s now powerless arms falling from around Lou’s neck.

 

Once Debbie opens her eyes she sees Lou bring her hand up to her face and very deliberately lick her own fingers clean. In that moment Debbie was suddenly ready for the next round. She looks over at Lou with her head propped up on her hand, smiling like she’s got a secret. 

 

“What?” Lou just smiles wider. “Come on, tell me, what is it?”

 

Lou goes in for a kiss. She pulls away and traces an invisible pattern in between Debbie’s breasts.

 

“Are you going to tell me?” Debbie asks almost impatiently.

 

Lou looks at her a moment before answering, “you’re really special, d’you know that?”

 

Debbie feels like her soul has momentarily left her body. “Oh yeah?”

 

Lou nods, “very special.” 

 

Debbie slowly pushes Lou’s shoulder til she’s on her back. She lies almost completely on top of Lou. She brushes Lou’s bangs aside giving her a better view of Lou’s eyes in the soft light. Debbie looks at her face a moment, taking it all in. She kisses Lou and while their lips are still together tells her, “I think you’re very special too.”

 

Debbie doesn’t want to waste a single minute. Her hands quickly start exploring Lou’s body much as Lou had done to her. Debbie soon learns that the site before her, Lou with her face flushed and eyes closed tightly in ecstasy, should be considered sacred. She has never before seen an image in her life look so closely like art. She’s rather enjoying the reactions she’s slowly eliciting from Lou when she sees her open her eyes. 

 

“I’m so close, keep going.” Debbie immediately got to work until she heard the most melodious cry be ripped from Lou’s throat. She would do this all day just to be able to hear that cry again.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Several hours later they lay in bed tired and more than satisfied. They lay facing each other fighting off sleep, not wanting the night to end. They’d do anything to prolong what they felt together in that moment.

 

“Lou?”

 

“Mm?”

 

“Move in with me.”

 

Lou’s quiet a moment before she answers, “are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, I mean, we’ve been living together for months now. I already know all the stuff you do that gets on my nerves and vice versa.”

 

Lou smiles fondly at her, “Debbie Ocean, The Poet.”

 

Debbie smiles back at her, “I’m serious. I officially don’t need a caretaker anymore,” Debbie finds Lou’s hand and kisses it, “but I don’t want you to leave.”

 

“Help me pack and move and you’ve got a deal.”

 

And with one last sleepy kiss they both fell asleep.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Two weeks later and Lou is all moved into Debbie’s apartment. The contrast between Lou’s eclectic belongs among Debbie’s minimalist decor was very amusing to Tammy. After Debbie had told her she and Lou were moving in together Tammy was extremely excited for her friend finally finding someone. 

 

They sat in Debbie’s living room talking the afternoon away. Tammy had really liked Lou, she was good for Debbie and actually a very pleasant person. 

 

“Oh, Lou, that reminds me. I have a friend that has a gallery in Manhattan. I showed her the sketches you did of the kids and she loved them. She asked me to pass along her business card so you can get in touch with her about you two possibly doing business together.”

 

Lou takes the card from Tammy not fully believing what she just said, “are you serious?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Lou looks at the card then at Tammy, “I can’t thank you enough.”

 

“Don’t mention it, I’m happy to help.”

 

For the first time in a long time, Debbie felt truly content.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

“Sooo, if my calculations are correct,” Debbie glances down at her legal pad again, “the entire trip will take us just over three months.”

 

Lou comes over to the couch Debbie’s on and sits next to her. She looks over Debbie’s notes and nods along with what she’s reading.

 

“This is quite an itinerary. Do you think we can make it to all these places in just over three months?”

 

“Yeah, I think we can, assuming there aren’t any delayed flights. In which case we’re screwed.”

 

Lou points to a city on the itinerary, “it’ll be winter when we’re here.”

 

“I know.”

 

“It gets cold there. Very cold.”

 

“I know.”

 

“We’ll need something to help keep us warm.”

 

By this point Debbie is smiling as she reads through the messages on her phone, “I know.”

 

Lou sees Debbie’s smile and her mischievous glance, “you got us a room with a hot tub.”

 

Debbie puts her phone down and gently takes the legal pad from Lou’s hands, “I did. It’s a private hot tub.” She says as she makes her way on top of Lou.

 

As Lou slowly lies back she plays along with Debbie’s game, “what if it’s broken? How are we gonna stay warm?”

 

“I’m sure I can think of something we can do to keep warm.” Debbie says between kisses on Lou’s neck.

 

Lou slips her hands under Debbie’s shirt and slides them up until they’re just below her breasts, her thumb tracing under them. “Like what, hot yoga?”

 

“Mm nope, guess again.” Debbie’s lips make their way up Lou’s neck, slowly and tortuously.

 

Lou’s thumbs slowly trace a path closer and closer to Debbie’s nipples, “does it involve any cardio?”

 

“You could say that.” Debbie’s nibbling on her earlobe just as Lou’s thumbs make contact with both her nipples. “Why don’t I just show you exactly what I’m talking about.”

 

That’s all the encouragement Lou needed to take Debbie’s shirt off.


	22. Chapter 22

They arrive at the Farmer’s Market a couple of hours after it opened. Debbie had been slowly going out an hour or so per day to spend some time outside and get used to using her legs again for an extended amount of time. She never really had time or reason to go to the Farmer’s Market but when Lou told her it would be fun and they could make a day of it she was up for it.

 

Lou has her hands in her coat pocket and Debbie threads her arm through Lou’s. Debbie wasn’t the type to express her feelings verbally, but Lou never had a doubt about how Debbie felt about her. She was always close to Lou. Always touching her if possible. Physical contact, Lou was learning, was very important to Debbie. 

 

“So, what do you do at these things anyway?”

 

“You buy stuff, try stuff, sample stuff, look at stuff… that sort of thing.”

 

“Do they only have vegetables and fruits here?”

 

“No, they’ve got all kinds of things. They’ve got farm fresh honey, cheese, and a whole bunch of other locally sourced and made things.”

 

After walking around a bit they decided to split up and then meet for lunch later. Lou strolled around getting Debbie her favorite fruits and vegetables. She stopped at a booth that sold several kinds of honey and decided that Debbie, an avid tea drinker, would appreciate some different types of honey to go with her tea. She picked up each and every jar examining the type of flower used, the blend, the type of extracting method. After a while she left with a couple of jars and some organic honey and eucalyptus candies.

 

Her and Debbie met up at the predetermined location. Debbie smiled as she saw Lou walking towards her, something she didn’t notice she did but that made Lou weak in the knees.

 

“What’d you get?” Debbie asks as she grabs the bag and peeks inside. Lou takes Debbie’s bags so she can thoroughly rifle through Lou’s bag.

 

“Candy?” Debbie smiled. “Someone still has a sweet tooth, huh?”

 

“Those are for you.”

 

“For me?”

 

“Yeah, I know you do a lot of talking with your clients and in court so I figured something to soothe your throat would be useful.”

 

Debbie looks at Lou and her heart is filled at the thoughtful gesture. She pulls her in for a sweet and lingering kiss. 

 

“You’re one of a kind, Lou Miller, one of a kind.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie hears the keys jingle in the lock and makes her way down the hall as she pulls her hair into a bun. She smiles as she sees Lou come through the door as if they’d been apart for days.

 

“Hey, you.” Debbie comes up to her and kisses her as she helps Lou with some of the bags in her hands.

 

“Hey, baby.” Lou closes the door and follows Debbie into the kitchen.

 

“So, tell me, how’d it go?” Debbie asks excitedly as she helps take Lou’s coat off.

 

Lou smiles at Debbie’s excitement, something that not everyone got to experience so openly. “It went well,” Lou takes a sip of water as Debbie waits not so patiently for her to finish, “I sold two sketches and she commissioned three more pieces.”

 

“Lou that’s excellent!” Debbie says as she puts something away in one of the cupboards. “What were the pieces you sold?”

 

“The one of the park with the ducks and that one of you at your desk from behind.”

 

Debbie smiles softly, “I’m hanging in a gallery?”

 

Lou nods, “that’s right. So now when I say you’re a work of art, I mean it in more ways than one.”

 

Debbie comes up to Lou, takes the bottle of water from her hand placing it on the counter, “you keep talking like that and you know what’ll happen.”

 

“Mm maybe that’s exactly what I want to happen.” Debbie slips her hands around Lou’s waist.

 

“So now that you’re a big shot artist does that mean you’ll have groupies?”

 

Lou pretends to look contemplative, “Hm I hadn’t thought about it, but now that you mention it…”

 

Debbie playfully pinches Lou at her sides, “watch it, Miller or else I’ll make you pay for it later.”

 

“I’m counting on that.” Lou says as she backs Debbie into the counter as Debbie laughs.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie stirs awake and almost immediately turns over to reach for Lou.

 

“Morning, baby,” she says as she shifts herself closer to Lou.

 

Lou groans and turns her face into her pillow. Debbie immediately knew something was wrong. She softly feels Lou’s forehead to check if she has a fever, but her temperature is fine.

 

“What’s wrong?” Debbie caresses her arms slowly.

 

“My head.” That’s all Lou can manage to say without feeling nauseous.

 

Debbie lies next to her quietly for a moment before getting up to get her medicine and water. Lou gladly accepts it and downs the pill with the entire glass of water. Debbie kisses her on the forehead.

 

“You stay in bed a little longer, ok?”

 

As Debbie is in the kitchen making her tea she’s thinking about the day before and wondering what they could’ve eaten to make Lou feel ill. She wasn’t hungover because Debbie knew they had only shared one bottle of wine the night before. She’d eaten properly even though they had a busy day prepping for Danny and Tess’ upcoming arrival. Then it hit Debbie. Fifteen minutes later she walks into their bedroom and sits on the bed next to Lou.

 

She lightly threads her fingers through Lou’s hair. “Hey, I got you some coffee.”

 

Lou groans a bit, lifts her head and wordlessly takes the mug from Debbie. She takes a sip and Debbie knew that if her head weren’t hurting so much she would have moaned in delight because she had yet to meet anyone that loved coffee as much as Lou. They sat in the dim light of the room, the blinds still closed as the light made Lou’s head hurt more. Lou had her head on Debbie’s chest and Debbie ran her fingers through Lou’s hair slowly and gently. For forty minutes they sat like that until Lou shifted her head upwards and kissed Debbie.

 

“Good morning, darling.”

 

“Mm good morning,” Debbie smiled knowing Lou’s caffeine headache was gone now. Debbie always got some pleasure out of knowing that she did something to take care of Lou seeing as how well and often Lou took care of her.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

“So you’re Lou, huh?” Danny shakes her hand firmly carrying a hint of a smile on his face, “nice to finally meet you.”

 

“Likewise,” Lou says as Debbie comes up from behind her and slips her hands around Lou’s waist.

 

“Come on, let’s go eat, I’m starving.” Debbie says to Danny, Tess and Lou.

 

They’re well into dinner when Debbie breaks the news of their upcoming trip Danny and Tess.

 

“I’m gonna need a favor from you guys.”

 

“What do you need?” Tess asks as she sips her wine.

 

“I need you guys to check the mail for us every couple of days and maybe water the plants.” Debbie says looking up finally.

 

Danny looks back and forth between her and Lou, “you two going somewhere?”

 

Debbie smiles and nods, “Lou and I are going on a trip.”

 

“A trip or The Trip?”

 

“The Trip.”

 

Danny smiles as he takes a sip of his wine, “of course. Anything you need.”

 

Tess is all smiles, “where are you going?”

 

“We’re hitting up a few different spots but finishing up in Buenos Aires.”

 

“Make sure you visit a steakhouse before you leave Buenos Aires, Argentinians are famous for their steaks.” Danny suggests. “And bring us back some wine, too.”

 

“Danny, please.” Tess complains.

 

“We’ll get you guys a couple bottles of some nice Malbec.” Lou says.

 

Danny smiles and then looks over at Debbie, “I like her already.”


	23. Chapter 23

“Have you ever been scuba diving?”

 

Debbie was sitting on the floor with about ten different magazines open on the coffee table in front of her. They were about three weeks away from their trip and Debbie was excited and decided to keep busy in an effort to curb her anxiety. She hadn’t discussed it with Lou yet but she really wanted to make this trip a yearly thing. Something they could look forward to and plan for together.

 

“Yeah, a long time ago.”

 

“Hmm. Did you like it? Was it fun?”

 

“It was a great time and quite an experience. Why do you ask?”

 

“I was thinking,” Debbie turns towards Lou sitting on the couch behind her, “I was thinking maybe next year, for Christmas, we could go to Sydney.”

 

“You wanna go to Australia?” Lou asks with a hint of a smile on her face.

 

Debbie nods with a smile, “I figured you could be my tour guide.”

 

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

 

“Yes of course,” Debbie moves onto the couch and puts Lou’s legs on her lap, “I wanna get to know your neck of the woods. See where you’re from.” Debbie lightly taps her fingers on Lou’s shins.

 

Lou sits up and swings her legs off the couch. “I’ve got a few places I’d like to show you.” She sits back onto the arm rest bringing Debbie with her. “I’d like to sit and watch a sunset with you on the hill near the apartment I lived in before I left.”

 

Debbie smiles and rests her head back onto Lou’s shoulder, “I’d like that too.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie walks into the apartment and dumps the bags she was carrying on the dining room table.

 

“Lou? Are you home?” She calls out. Lou comes down the hallway towel drying her hair having recently showered.

 

“Yeah, I’m home” Debbie watches Lou without even blinking. Lou smiles when she realizes where Debbie’s attention is directed. “This still does it for you?”

 

Debbie walks up to her and shows her just how much it still does it for her with a proper kiss. “We’ll finish talking about this later, for now I have something for you.” Debbie walks over to her purse and pulls something out. “Here, this is for you. For our trip.”

 

Lou opens the cover and sees it’s a tablet, “Deb, you really didn’t have to do this, darling.” She gives Debbie a quick kiss on the lips, “thank you.”

 

“I’ve already downloaded some apps for you and I’ve emailed you a list of books I suggest you download.”

 

“You’re so efficient.” Lou gives her another kiss, this time lingering. “I got you something too.” Lou runs back to their room and comes back with two plastic containers. “Here”

 

Debbie looks at them and laughs, “ear plugs? This is perfect, thank you.”

 

“I know you have trouble sleeping when there’s noise so I got you those.” 

 

Debbie still marveled at how Lou paid attention to the tiniest of details and felt tears prick at the back of her eyes for a quick moment.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

“Is seven pairs enough? No, maybe I should bring eight, no nine. An extra pair just to be safe. Should I just round up to ten?”

 

They were a week away from their trip and Debbie was nervous, so nervous she was close to blowing a gasket over socks. Not only would this be her first trip overseas, but it would be the first time she would spend an extended period of time away from home. She had made, remade, discarded, made again and now categorized then alphabetized her checklist. Lou had been packed for days having done so in under an hour.

 

“How many pairs are you taking?”

 

“Five” Lou answered as she lied on their bed reading a book.

 

“Five, that’s it?”

 

“Yeah, if I need more I can just get more on the trip.”

 

Debbie stopped, turned to Lou, walked toward the bed and sat by her feet. “I can just get more on the trip.” She says as if it’s only occurring to her now.

 

Lou put her book down. “Why don’t I help you pack? I’ve done this enough times to know what absolutely needs to be packed and what can be acquired along the way.” 

 

Debbie looks over at Lou and squeezes her knee, “thank you. I’m about two items away from a nuclear meltdown.”

 

Lou takes the list from Debbie’s hand and looks it over. After a few seconds she starts laughing.

 

“What?”

 

“Nowhere on this list does it say toothbrush.”

 

Debbie’s eyes go wide and she pulls Lou’s arm over so she can look at the list.

 

“Oh my god. I almost forgot to take a toothbrush.” She drops her head into her hands.

 

Lou kisses her head and goes off into the bathroom to get Debbie her toothbrush.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

Debbie and Lou sat next to each other on the airplane. Danny and Tess had dropped them off a couple of hours earlier vowing to bring in their mail every couple of days. They stopped by a magazine stand and got some new issues to read during the flight. And now minutes before take off they sat on the plane ready for their first trip together.

 

Lou turns her head over towards Debbie, “are you ready?”

 

Debbie takes a deep breath and opens her eyes, looking over to Lou, “ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

And as if on cue the seatbelt lights come one and they buckle up. They held each other's hands, interlocking their fingers and waited for the plane to take off and start them off on their very first adventure together.


	24. Chapter 24

Debbie sits on the bed next to where Lou is sleeping. She’s about to wake her up so they can watch the sunrise. They had each made a list of things they  _ must _ do while on the trip and one of Debbie’s things was to watch the sunrise while they were in Singapore. It took a little convincing but Lou finally agreed to wake up  _ before _ the sun. She stared down at Lou peacefully sleeping for a moment and then finally brushes her hair out of her eyes.

 

Lou stirs awake but doesn’t open her eyes. She groans in protest of having been woken up and burrows her head further into the pillow. Debbie smiles at that and threads her fingers through Lou’s hair eventually tucking some hair behind her ear.

 

“The sun’s coming up.”

 

“Already? We just went to sleep.” Lou’s eyes are still closed and she’s mumbling sleepily, something that Debbie finds incredibly endearing.

 

“You’ve been asleep close to ten hours, now come on, get up so we can watch the sunrise. Then we can go out for breakfast.”

 

Lou finally opens her eyes a tiny bit. She turns and finally looks at Debbie, smiling. Debbie leaned down and kissed her on her shoulder and got up. Lou reached for her as she walked away not wanting to be apart from Debbie if she didn’t have to. She finally gets up and makes her way out onto the patio on the villa they were staying in. It was a warm morning so the light breeze was more than welcomed. She sat down in the chair next to Debbie and almost immediately Debbie hands her a mug. Without a word Lou takes her first sip and closes her eyes as was her habit. A habit Debbie had memorized and learned to appreciate. She used to give Lou a hard time about how much coffee she had on a daily basis, but she had now grown used to the smell of coffee that almost permanently permeated their apartment.

 

Lou brings her head up and smiles as she knows Debbie is watching her. She takes another sip and points towards the horizon on the ocean.

 

“Unreal isn’t it?”

 

Debbie nods slowly, holding her tea with both hands. “Makes the world seem a lot smaller doesn’t it?”

 

“How so?”

 

“That’s the same sun. The same sun that rises back home.”

 

Lou takes her hand and kisses it. “Debbie Ocean, The Poet.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

They both tumble in through the door to their hotel room laughing and desperately failing at being inconspicuous. As soon as Lou closes and locks the door behind them Debbie pulls her by the shirt up against her and begins kissing her. Lou responds enthusiastically pinning Debbie against the wall. They break apart, their breathing labored.

 

“Do you think anyone saw us?”

 

“No, but I think they might’ve heard you.” Lou says with a smirk.

 

Debbie covers her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. 

 

It was late, very late. They decided to take a quiet late night dip in the pool since it was almost summer but already uncharacteristically warm. They’d been staying at a small hotel in Tuscany fairly close to the vineyards they’d planned on visiting. They’d gotten rather handsy in the pool and just couldn’t wait until getting back to their hotel room so Lou pulls Debbie behind some bushes. And when Lou’s talented fingers hit a particular spot Debbie got just loud enough for the people in the room close to the bushes to pop out and see what was happening. They both bolted back to their room as soon as the nosey guests went back inside.

 

Lou kisses Debbie again, slowly and deliberately. She begins to walk away when Debbie pulls her back.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

“I was going to open that bottle of wine we got earlier…” 

 

Debbie looks her in the eyes, then down her neck and chest then back up to her eyes, “ok, we’ll have some wine and then finish what we started out by the pool.”

 

Lou slowly walks backwards towards the bed taking Debbie with her, “or we can finish now and have wine later.”

 

Debbie squeals as they both fall on the bed and laugh. They lie there for a second and look at each other, kiss each other and talk to each other. Not a single care in the world, no schedule, nothing but the two of them.

 

\----------//////////----------

 

After visiting a few countries in the Northern Hemisphere they now found themselves in South America and in the middle of winter. The two sat in a café by the window watching the hustle and bustle of daily life happen.

 

“I like it here, we need to come here again.” Debbie says with a hint of a smile on her face.

 

Lou flips through the wine menu, “I support that decision.”

 

Debbie smiles fully and looks at Lou finally. “I don’t want to leave.”

 

“I knew once you started traveling you’d never wanna go back home.”

 

“The world is just so interesting. There’s so much I want to see again and so much more I haven’t even seen yet.”

 

Lou puts the menu down and takes one of Debbie’s hands, “we’ve got plenty of time. I know it took you awhile to get started, so you’re excited to go everywhere, but relax. We’ll go anywhere you want together.”

 

Debbie looks deeply into Lou’s eyes and thinks for a moment. “I don’t know what I’d be doing right now if it weren’t for you.”

 

“Probably working.”

 

“That’s absolutely what I’d be doing. I’m glad I’m not though. I’m glad I’m here, with you.”

 

Lou brings their joined hands up and kisses Debbie’s hand as Debbie watches her do it.    
  


“Why do you always do that? Kiss my hands.”

 

“It’s an intimate gesture. One that shows I care deeply for you and that I’d do anything for you.”

 

Debbie looks at her a moment longer, “I love you too.”

 

\----------//////////----------

 

They were finally home. It had been a long and tiring flight, but they made it home safely. After a nice long and relaxing bath Lou fell asleep almost immediately. Debbie was awake a little while longer. She texted Danny, Tess and Tammy to let them know they had made it back safe and sound. Debbie puts her phone away and turns toward Lou. She liked watching Lou sleep because she looked like a painting. So perfect and serene. She took Lou’s hand and gave it a kiss. She turns the light off and closes her eyes. Debbie doesn’t remember when she started falling asleep with a smile on her face, but she knows that before Lou it never happened. She was growing sleepier by the second so with one final yawn she settles in ready to fall asleep, but not before mumbling a barely coherent “I love you” to Lou just as she dozed off.

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad to see it end but so happy it even happened! To each and every person who read this story, thank you for giving it the time of day. I read every single comment all of you left and I want to truly thank you for taking the time to do so. This fandom has been nothing but kind to me so thank you for that too <3


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